The Espil Mirror
by Love'sdarkshadow
Summary: "The Espil Mirror," Plasmius said in awe. "A divine item made billions of years ago, forged by magic, to show the user what he truly desires and how to obtain it." Vlad saw his smile grow in the mirror as the image morphed. "Now Espil Mirror…show me how to achieve what I desire!" (SLASH!)
1. The Espil Mirror

Plasmius smiled up at the huge doors before him, his fangs shining and his red eyes glowing. This was it; he finally found it. After months of searching, he'd discovered the solution to his problem, the remedy that would allow him to gain all he'd wanted.

"It was almost too easy," Plasmius mused to himself, pushing the doors open and floating into the room. It was dark, even by ghost world standards, cobwebs glistening in the corners, from wall to wall. It reminded Vlad of the many rooms in his mansion that went unused, growing dusty and haunted from neglect. "Though why it would seem so abandoned is beyond me. Especially when it possesses an item such as this." Plasmius smirked widely as he floated across the room, to the only object in the vast emptiness.

"The Espil Mirror," Plasmius said in awe. "A divine item made billions of years ago, forged by magic, to show the user what he truly desires and how to obtain it. Barely any protection in this place for such an incredible item…strange." Vlad brushed his gloved hand over the glass face of the mirror, wiping away the layer of dust. It glowed to life and Vlad saw his smile grow in the mirror as the image morphed. "The better for me in any case. Now Espil Mirror…show me how to achieve what I desire!"

The glass of the mirror shifted and rippled like the surface of a clean lake. Vlad waited with baited breath for the image to still and clear.

"Vlad Masters…"

"Actually, I prefer Plasmius," Vlad said, his excitement evident as wind blew from the mirror. A mist formed over the glass and rose. The mist twisted and formed until a translucent spirit appeared before Vlad. Her features weren't clear except for her solid blue eyes. Her body was long and icy white, wisping like smoke. "You must be the guardian of this fine mirror." Vlad mused, his gloved hand glowing pink as he prepared to quickly defeat the guardian and utilize the mirror.

The spirit raised a hand. "I am not here to deter you from what you seek." Vlad raised an eyebrow but allowed the ecto-energy in his fist to fade. "I am merely the spirit who inhabits and owns the mirror. Any can utilize its powers."

"Don't mind if I do," Plasmius said with a smirk, looking back to the mirror before him. The mirror shifted again, forming and reforming. "Show me how to get what I desire."

"What is it you desire most?"

Vlad looked back up to the spirit, who regarded him passively. "Revenge," Vlad said with a smirk. The spirit continued staring at Vlad, and then floated behind him. Vlad barely flinched before he felt something-the spirit's hand-reached into his chest. He felt a constricting feeling on his insides, a coldness so bitter and filling, racking through him.

"Revenge…hmm?" the spirit mused.

Vlad opened his eyes and saw into the mirror's face; he saw Jack's grave, cracked and forgotten. Maddie stood by it, gazing passively and then looked out the mirror towards Vlad. She smiled.

"_We're together now. We can finally be together, Vlad." _Vlad grinned and ignored the ache of the hand still lodged in his chest.

"Hahaha! Jack Fenton dead! And the lovely Maddie, finally mine at last!" His fangs glistened evilly. "How do I do it? Tell me Mirror!"

"This…this is not what you _truly _desire," the icy spirit said and the mirror's images faded.

"No!" Vlad said, reaching out to the glass. "Who are you to say what I desire?!"

"I can see it…I can feel it," the spirit said and Vlad felt the hand in his chest reach deeper. "That desire is a cover for your real wishes. The deepest desires are usually ignored and shunned, as the mind focuses on old desires or simpler dreams."

"Hmm…deepest desires covered by simpler wishes," Vlad mused. "I suppose merely wishing for Jack's death and Maddie's love is a bit…_simple. _Maybe I should better utilize this powerful item by using it to achieve my destiny." Vlad looked behind him at the spirit and smirked. "To rule."

"You wish to rule…" she repeated and Vlad felt that restricting pull at his chest, aching and cold, deeper still inside him. He clenched his teeth but peaked at the mirror as once again it twisted and formed.

On the glass, Vlad saw hundreds upon thousands of people, humans and ghosts alike, bowing before him. He saw posters hung up of his face, his name on the TV, people smiling out of the mirror, calling him Lord Vlad, Master, _ruler. _

"Yes…yes that's right. _That's _what I truly desire! Show me how to obtain my _true _wish!"

"No…this is what you think you deserve, what you think fate demands of you because you're half ghost," the spirit said and Vlad's head snapped over his shoulder to glare at the specter. "You're not human or ghost, you belong to neither world so you think yourself above them because of your detachment. You think it's your rightful place to rule, since you feel you cannot belong."

Vlad's red eyes narrowed dangerously as his irritation turned to anger. "I do not believe myself worthy of ruling out of _self-pity! _Are you going to show me how to get what I desire or not!?"

"Why don't we first discover _what _you truly desire…" Vlad gasped as he felt the hand reach deeper still, to his very core. It clenched and held, his body going numb. He felt a cold wash over him, holding him. He tried to breathe, to take a breath but everything felt frozen and his lungs weren't working.

"Wha…what are you doing?" Vlad wheezed out, his voice barely a whisper. He wanted to conjure his strength or his power, to force her away but nothing was working. She had a hold on his entire essence.

"Reaching into the very center of your soul, to see what it is you're hiding from yourself."

Vlad clenched his eyes, willing her out, willingly his body to move. After a moment, Vlad heard a familiar laugh and opened his eyes, looking into the Mirror's glass.

Danny Phantom was before him. He was flying, flying away from Vlad, but it seemed like Vlad was chasing him.

"Daniel..?" Vlad scoffed, his voice still very quiet. "That little pain in my neck…?"

Vlad watched, eyes narrowed until Danny glanced over his shoulder and laughed. The sound wasn't taunting or bitter; it was a real laugh. Danny's white hair wiped before his green eyes as he flew, his smile wide and open. "_Come on Vlad, it's like you're letting me win! You getting old_?" Danny laughed again and flew faster. Vlad watched and he wanted to laugh too suddenly; he could almost feel the wind rushing his face as he flew after the boy, he could feel that mirth build in his chest before it turned into happy laughter.

The image changed and Danny was human, staring out of the mirror at Vlad. He was smiling happily. Vlad had never seen that expression on Danny's face aimed at him before, as though the boy were…happy to see him.

"_Vlad, can you teach me that move where you turn you're ecto-energy into a weapon, like a sword!_" Danny asked excitedly. "_That was so cool_!"

The image blurred a moment and then reformed. Danny's expression had turned melancholy, his shoulders slumped as he gazed to the ground somewhere out of view in the image. "_Vlad…it's getting harder to keep my powers a secret. What do I do_?"

Vlad wanted to respond, to comfort the boy. He understood the pain of keeping something that was half of who you are a secret, especially for the boy who had a family he loved and wanted to trust. Nobody understood Danny's position as much as Vlad, and he had always wanted so badly to talk to the boy about it, to share his pain and experiences like…like…

"Daniel…" Vlad muttered, moving toward the mirror. Danny smiled at Vlad, who reached out to touch the glass. Danny's hand moved up to meet the gloved one. "Yes…I think…this _is _what I wanted…someone to talk to…someone to understand…when I found out Daniel was a half ghost, I was so…relieved…" Vlad touched the cold glass surface, but swore he could feel Danny's warm skin under his gloved fingers.

"This is what you truly desire…" the specter said behind Vlad, but the man wasn't listening.

"Danny…finally." He looked briefly over his shoulder and then back at the mirror. "Tell me, how to do it…how do I make him accept me as his fath—"

The image suddenly swirled and Danny was lying on his side, gazing at Vlad tiredly. Danny's lower half was covered by a dark green sheet, his torso bare. "Huh?" Vlad said, looking confusedly at the image. The covers looked a lot like the sheets of his own bed. And why was Danny naked…?

Suddenly Danny was facing the mirror, his cheeks blushed red, his blue eyes averted as he smiled shyly. Vlad felt his heart jump at the cute, innocent display from the ghost boy.

Danny was now walking beside the mirror, his hand outreached as though he were holding hands with…

"What is this?" Vlad said, stepping back from the mirror.

"It is what you desire."

"No, what you're showing me is…is some kind of twisted fantasy!" Vlad said angrily, glaring at the offending mirror. "This is sick; it's some kind of trick! To deter me from what I truly want or to scare me away!"

"This is what is in your heart, in the very center of your soul," the spirit said passively, no emotion crossing her features. "This is your very deepest desire."

Vlad stared at the mirror, which had Danny gazing out of the mirror at him. Vlad's dark eyebrows knitted together and he stepped closer, looking down into the boy's face. Danny lifted a hand against the glass, as though wanting to reach out to Vlad. "_I love you_."

Something inside the half ghost sparked at these words, these three words he had craved to hear so desperately most of his lonely life. Finally they were being directly at him, sincerely and gently, from someone who was so much like him. Danny was someone Vlad had wanted to share his life with for a long time; to train with, and share experiences with and be a family with. Danny was the only one in the world whom Vlad felt such a strong connection with and made him feel less lonely. But to be loved _this_ way…

"I want Daniel as a son…not…" Vlad muttered as he watched the image change. Danny standing in front of Vlad's bed, a positively sultry look in his blue eyes as he hooked his thumbs in his unbuttoned jeans and pulled them down passed his hips.

Vlad looked away quickly, his heart hammering in his chest and his throat suddenly dry. Vlad had _never _thought about Danny this way! This was sick and wrong, how could this spirit tell him that _this _was his deepest desire!?

A pull to his core forced him to open his eyes, to look back into the Mirror's face just as the image changed. Danny was looking up at him, his head rested on a pillow. His hair was mused, his eyes were cloudy and his cheeks bright pink. He was panting and Vlad blushed at the absolutely debauched state of the boy. Vlad's eyes widened and his heart pounded, his blood boiling hotly in his dead veins.

"This...this can't be..."

"Why not?" the spirit asked behind Vlad. "You love the boy, do you not?"

"Yes, but not like this! Not..."

"Physically?"

"Daniel is...too young." Vlad blinked as the image changed. Danny stood before him, clothed this time, but Vlad noticed something different about him. His shoulders looked wider, his face longer and some stubble lined his chin. Danny was saying something about some professor. He laughed, that carefree, easy laugh and looked over to Vlad, not up at him.

Vlad blinked. The image changed. Danny's appearance didn't, he was still much older. He was sitting on a couch reading and sipping coffee. A black and white cat jumped into his lap. Danny absentmindedly stroked the soft fur. He looked up and apparently noticed Vlad, smiling welcomingly and patted the seat beside him.

Vlad let out a broken cry and fell to his knees before the mirror. That was it. That was Vlad's deepest dream and desire. Love, a home, a family. Someone like him, who loved him. Vlad didn't need that person to be Maddie, he didn't need to rule over every other being in the universe; he just wanted love, and acceptance. And to get this all from Danny, to get _everything _from Danny, all forms of love from the one being in the world like him…it was perfect.

Vlad gazed at the boy in the mirror, who was kneeling down and gazing carefully at Vlad. "_What's wrong, Vladdie? Feeling your age_?" Danny laughed and Vlad couldn't help smiling with him as tears streamed down his face. Danny noticed the tears and tilted his head. "_I love you Vlad_."

"Oh…Danny. I love- I love you too!" Vlad cried, sobbing and putting his hands to the mirror. Vlad wanted it, he wanted it so badly. This love. He didn't want Danny as a son, because then eventually Danny would leave him for his friends, for his girlfriend, for college and his own life. He didn't want Danny as a student because eventually Danny would grow up and become his equal, and then he'd go off on his own, to learn new things even Vlad couldn't teach him. He didn't want Danny as a friend, he wanted more! He wanted _all _of Danny, his very heart and soul! Vlad was selfish and consuming; if he was to love and have love, he'd have it in all its facets! Instead of a family with Maddie as lover and Danny as son, Danny would be his only and all.

Vlad was shaking, his wide red eyes leaking ectoplasmic tears. "How? H-how to I get this!?" Vlad demanded desperately, looking over his shoulder and up at the spectral guardian. "Tell me how I get him!"

"It will take time, Plasmius. A lot of time."

"I want it now!" Vlad demanded, his eyes flashing, fangs bared. The spirit stared passively. She uttered not a word. Vlad eventually calmed, breathing deeply through his nose. This ghost wasn't here to deter him from his goal. She wasn't going to trick him or make things difficult. She was neutral, straight-forward and honest.

"Many have come seeking the path to their desires. They discovered their deepest secrets, but could not face what they needed to in order to obtain them. Are you willing to go through anything for what you truly desire? Are you capable of sacrificing and showing great patience in order to achieve this happiness that you seek?"

Vlad sighed, looking back to the mirror, to Danny who smiled at him and laughed with him and loved him. He couldn't lose this. "Is it possible? Is it really obtainable in my life?"

"Yes," the spirit said. "You can gain this in your life." Vlad gasped out a weak laugh. It didn't seem possible! "But as I have said, it shall take time. Many years, perhaps."

Vlad nodded. "I waited twenty years to try and snatch up Madeleine. I can wait a few more for this." Vlad wiped his face and stood up. He put his hand to the mirror, where Danny's cheek was reflected. The boy tilted his head, as though leaning into Vlad's touch. Vlad stared with a gentle, steady gaze and then dropped his hand and turned to the ghost guardian behind him.

"Alright then, spirit. Tell me how to achieve what I truly desire."

**Something I've kind of had sitting around and I finally decided to finish up ^^ Yes, the mirror in this story is based off the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter, when I got the idea of "What would Vlad see if he looked into that mirror?" And of course, me being a Pompous pep girl, imagined this ;) can you really blame me though? **

**(All rights go to Danny Phantom creator and Nickelodean of course!)**

**SO anyway, please review, they make me smile! :D Hope you enjoyed this little whatever, and have a goodnight! ~**


	2. Step One- Kindness

Vlad stood before the mirror in his mansion's entrance hall. It was oval-shaped, trimmed in gold with a polished face that shined a perfect reflection. Vlad ran a hand over his carefully tied back hair, raised his chin and squared his shoulders as he adjusted his red cravat, and then rubbed a hand over his neatly trimmed beard. Perfect.

The mirror's face fogged over, as though covered in steam from a hot shower. Beyond the fog, Vlad could see solid blue eyes in a smooth oval face framed by wispy white hair that faded into the fog around. Vlad narrowed his eyes at the mirror.

"You're _sure _this is going to work?"

"Your relationship currently with the boy is far from ideal," the spirit said, her voice quiet in the large entrance hall. Vlad rolled his eyes at the statement. _Try 'non-existent'. _"So the first step towards what you desire is to change that through kindness."

"Kindness? Right." Vlad's voice was filled with skepticism and annoyance, cringing at the very _idea _of having to 'play nice'. "So basically, after the grand act of kindness I did for Daniel, he should realize I'm not a bad guy and come banging on my door to be with me."

"It's not just a simple act of niceness Vlad. You must stop the fighting. You must show the boy you've changed. Appeased him. He will begin to take notice of the changes you're going through," the spirit clarified.

"Right, I'm supposed to assume a _sixt__een year old _is going to notice the delicate art of subtly," Vlad muttered with a roll of his eyes, mentally wondering how he'd gone from chasing after a mature, smart, age-appropriate woman, to some hormonal, angsty ignorant teen boy. Vlad ignored it with a shake of his head and made the final adjustment to his collar before heading for the door. He looked over his shoulder once more at the mirror and said, "You better hope this works, mirror."

…

Vlad was completing paperwork in his mayoral office when the young teen hero finally made his appearance, flanked by his trusty Goth and tech-nerd sidekicks. Vlad looked up with a smile, positively radiating with excitement. He'd been waiting for this ever since he'd set up the "nice" gifts to the boy earlier in the day.

"Ah, Daniel. Pleasure to see you here, though I don't believe we've scheduled an appointment."

"Can it Plasmius, whatever you're up to, you need to stop it right now," Danny demanded, stopping in front of Vlad's desk and crossing his arms, a serious expression on his young face.

Vlad paused a moment, his throat suddenly dry. It was unnerving in a sense, seeing Danny live in front of him after seeing those images of his heart's desire in the Espil Mirror, after flipping all his goals and plans to focus on this one boy. He'd seen the boy smile at him, laugh with him, blush in front of him…he wanted to see it all in person, now, but the Danny before him wasn't the same Danny as he'd seen in the mirror. Not quite. Not yet.

Vlad coughed briefly into his fist and then leaned back in his chair with a casual smile, forcing down the strange feelings and longings clawing at his chest. "My boy, you didn't like my gifts to you?"

"Gifts? I'm a social pariah now at school!" Danny exclaimed. "You hired bodyguards to make Dash leave me alone? You had the cafeteria people make specialized meals for me during lunch? And you had gift baskets on my desk during every class!? How did you even manage that!?"

"Yeah man, that's kind of a new level of creepy," Tucker pointed out.

"I was merely being nice," Vlad said with a nonchalant shrug. "Everyone likes a nice gift basket."

"Please Vlad, we all know you're not nice. You're trying to screw with Danny somehow, and we just want you to know that whatever you're planning, we'll find out," Sam said, glaring at Vlad who simple stated dryly:

"Right, because I'm supposed to be afraid of three teenagers, one of which has mediocre fighting powers while the other two use obsolete fighting gear a dimwit created in a lab."

At the insult towards his father, Danny's eyes glowed green and he growled threateningly. Vlad's heart sped up just the tiniest bit faster at the display of raw emotion and the uncontrollable power surging within the boy, so similar to his own.

"Easy Daniel, no need for the scary eyes. Honestly, and I'm giving you scouts honor," Vlad said, putting his hand to his chest and his other hand up in a mock pledge. "I am not planning anything. Simply being nice."

"Well I don't want it, so take it all back," Danny said firmly, turning to leave the office. Sam and Tucker followed close behind, Sam sending one final glare over her shoulder before they were gone.

Vlad leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. "I suppose that could have gone worse," he muttered. Sighing again, he leaned forward and picked up his phone. A moment later his secretary answered. "I need to cancel a few hired hands I had employed at Casper High School."

So the boy hadn't liked his gifts. Vlad honestly couldn't understand why. Danny was always complaining about the bullies and the nasty food. And it was true what Vlad said-everyone likes gift baskets!- especially since Vlad filled them with Danny's favorite candy, CD's, concert tickets, NASA posters…

Vlad stroked his beard thoughtfully. Maybe this situation was going to be more complicated than he thought. Vlad hadn't expected it to be easy. He hadn't expected a few gifts to make the boy come crawling to him, the man wasn't stupid. But he had expected…_something. _Progress of some sort. He just wasn't good at this sort of thing, he supposed. And perhaps years of failure at wooing a certain red-head should have taught him that he needed a new approach. A more subtle, long-term one.

Well if Vlad had any sort of virtue inside him, it was patience. He would continue to follow what the mirror spirit told him, and wait for the desired results.

…

It was late in the evening, and Vlad tilted his head to the side till his neck popped. He hated days like this, where he actually had to sit at a desk and do mundane _human _work. Paperwork, meetings, phone calls, all day, with barely any break for a cup of coffee. The man desperately wanted a cigarette, but instead picked up his cup in the corner. The liquid inside had long cooled, but Vlad simply ignited a small hum of energy to his hand, which quickly warmed the coffee. He took an appreciative sip, humming pleasantly just as a current shot up his spine, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.

Vlad smiled. A perfect way to end a dull day. Putting down his cup, Vlad quickly transformed and phased out of the building, floating high and invisible to try and spot the certain ghost presence he had felt.

"Ah there he is, doing that hero thing again," Vlad said with a smirk, floating closer but not enough that the boy would sense him near.

Danny was currently engaged in battle with a green ecto-plasmic octopus. He was holding his own very well and Vlad was content to float back and watch.

The young teen hero had grown considerably in the year and a half since they'd first met. Back then, the boy had been a joke, his powers wild and erratic, completely weak and out of his control. Vlad had only bothered with the boy back then because A. he was Jack and Maddie's son, and B. he was a half ghost like Vlad. That in itself made Vlad intensely interested in Danny.

But now, as Danny was nearing the age of sixteen and barreling from boy to man, Vlad was impressed with what he saw. Not only had the boy mastered some moves that had taken Vlad years, like duplication and the Ghostly Wail (which Vlad still hadn't quite figured out, regrettably), but he also had a pretty decent handle on his core element powers. His body was filling out nicely, his personality had matured slightly…Vlad smirked at the incredible boy Danny had turned into.

_And soon enough, he shall be all mine, _Vlad thought with a smirk as Danny managed to subdue the ghost long enough for his friends, who had been standing on the sidelines until the right moment, to suck the specter into the Fenton Thermos.

Vlad took that opportunity to lower towards the street, turning visible and clapping slowly. It would definitely be a "nice" thing to do to compliment the boy and tell him exactly how impressed Vlad was with him.

"Very good, boy. _Very _good. It seems you're finally growing into your powers."

Danny and his friends' head snapped up to Vlad. Danny's eyes flashed as he glared up at the older halfa. "Plasmius. I should have known, you'd be sticking your nose around again."

The boy's hand glowed a neon green and Vlad barely raised his hand before he was shot into the nearest building by a strong blast. _The boy's reflexes _were _always quick, _Vlad thought bitterly as he rubbed his head, pushing away from the crumbling brick of the wall.

Danny advanced and Vlad quickly put up his hands in peace. "Calm down, Daniel. I'm not here to fight."

"Right, you just showed up to exchange witty banter and make fun of my dad before flying back home to watch football," Danny said with a roll of his eyes, floating by Vlad, his tense stance showing that he was ready for any attacks.

"You know me by now my boy, if I had some nefarious plot, I would be bragging about it while you're tiny teen mind tries to understand it," Vlad said with a shrug, causing the present teens to intensify their glares. Vlad briefly flinched inwardly. _Nice. Remember to be nice. Step one. _Vlad quickly cleared his throat and said, "I'm not planning anything. In fact, I've given up on nefarious plots all together."

"Ha, we'll believe that when we see it," Sam stated, crossing her arms. "You're up to something Vlad, and we're gonna find out what. We always do."

Vlad scowled down at the Goth as he floated up to Danny's level. He turned his gaze to the teen ghost and smiled, his fangs glistening. "I'm merely being nice."

"Nice doesn't exactly suit you, Plasimus," Danny said with a tilt of his head, suddenly zooming forward and punching Vlad, sending the older man crashing back into the wall in an explosion of brick and dust. "In fact, I don't actually think you're capable of nice." Vlad narrowly dodged another ghost blast, tumbling through the air and out of the way. He turned to face the boy, glaring angrily and hand blazing with energy, but Vlad quickly caught himself. He couldn't fight Danny.

Before he could say another thing to defend himself though, he felt something coil around his ankle and tug. Sam had the Jack-o-ninetails, and flung Vlad down to the street below, electricity shooting up and down his body. He landed on his back, cracking the cement below him and gasped, phantom pain shooting up his back and threw his limps.

He opened his eyes to see Danny race down towards him, his fists charging up for another blast. Vlad quickly put up a pink electric shield around himself just as the blast hit.

"Enough!" Vlad shouted, standing and releasing his shield in a gust of energy, knocking the human teens to their backsides, and sending the ghost teen tumbling back through the air.

Vlad rose high into the air, glaring down at the young group of ghost hunters. He bared his fangs, his body itching to fight back, to attack and show them who the stronger fighter was. The only thing holding him back…the only thing calming his rising anger…were those images in the mirror, those three words uttered so sincerely from the boy before him. The spirit had said it was possible. Currently, Vlad seriously doubted it. But he had to at least try. What else did he have left to lose?

Sighing deeply, Vlad lowered to the ground, his feet landing softly. Black rings hooped around his waist and separated up and down, transforming him soundly back to Vlad Masters.

Danny, blinked and looked down to Vlad, confusion and apprehension clear in his green eyes. All this time, always fighting each other, considering each other the other's greatest enemy. Even if Vlad didn't really want to acknowledge the boy's strength and progress that was quickly rising to rival his own, even though he wanted to mock the boy's need to be a hero, Vlad respected Danny. And though the boy would never say it out loud, Vlad knew Danny respected Vlad.

But now, Vlad wanted more. He had glimpsed a life he could only dream of. One with happiness and understanding, but it was a life with his enemy, with a boy who saw Vlad as some villain, an entity of evil and cruelty that could only be fought, never loved.

Vlad was determined though, and he would keep pushing, pushing until the boy was forced to see things his was, was forced to change and turn from everything else to only face Vlad. And if that took years and some pain and humility, then so be it. Vlad was ready.

"I'm not here to fight you," Vlad repeated, staring seriously up at the boy. "I'm done fighting you."

Vlad turned to leave, walking silently down the street, back towards city hall where his car would be waiting. He didn't turn back, but he felt the teens' eyes on his back, thought he could especially feel Danny's, all the boy's confusion and uncertainty boring into his back.

Back in his mansion an hour later, Vlad took off his coat in the entryway, hanging it up. He glanced into the mirror in the hall, which fogged over as he said, "This all better be worth it."

"You shall have it all, in time." Vlad scoffed and glaring at the object where the spirit communicated through. "This is merely the first step towards it, Vlad Masters. There will be many trials, maybe obstacles you must face that you will hate, that will seem more difficult than the last but this is the key to gaining the boy's love."

Vlad sighed in irritation. "Well, for the sake of my sanity, the next step better be something easier and less harmful to my pride." The silence that followed didn't assuage Vlad's fears in the slightest.

**Hey, so first off thanks so much for all the comments, favorites and follows I received for this story, it was really great! ^^ the chapter before this was supposed to be a stand alone piece, just a oneshot, but due to popular demand for more, I thought about it, wondering "How would I even continue this?" I pondered this question during class and ended up filling five notebook pages of chapter ideas until i had more than ten chapters relatively planned out...sooo, yeah, I'm really excited about it too! **

**I know it kind of starts off slow here, but this is just the beginning! Trust me, it's gonna get good! So leave a comment please, telling me what you thought, what you're thoughts are and what you think might happen ^^ ideas are always welcome to help fill in some of those empty spots xD**

**Thanks so much for reading, hope you have a great rest of your day! ~**


	3. Step Two- Apology

Vlad stood at the front door of the Fenton household, his teeth grinding, his shoulders tensed and his eyebrows knitted together over his murderous eyes. Crushed in his fist were the stems of a colorful bouquet. Vlad wanted to set the flowers ablaze.

This next step was, to delicately put it, much more difficult for Vlad to face than the last. _Much _more. Being nice was relatively easy for the billionaire; he had to act charming and gracious to fellow businessmen, needed to charm and flatter a few people in his days to get what he wanted. The hardest thing about it was refusing to fight Danny, despite how much fun it usually was to test the boy, push him and challenge him and see first-hand just how much the boy was growing.

But _this_! Vlad had outright refused when the mirror spirit had told him, shook his head and put his foot down. He couldn't. He wouldn't!

"You must," the female specter had said calmly, staring out from the bathroom mirror in Vlad's master bathroom. "The boy's trust in you will go up. You must gain his trust before you gain his love."

"Yes yes, I understand that! The boy sees me as a villain, so he'll never accept me as anything more until I show him I've changed, I get it," Vlad grumbled. "I'm willing to take away all the CCTV cameras I have located outside his home and school, disable all the bug-cams I have in his home and around town, I'm even willing to disconnect all ties with any of his ghostly enemies! But _this _I _can NOT—"_

"Vlad Masters," the spirit had interrupted and Vlad looked to the mirror mid-tirade, his breathing fast and his eyes burning with fury. "There is no other way."

The specter had ignored all Vlad's protests, refusals and tantrums, because she knew just as well as Vlad—even if he wouldn't admit it—that this was the _best _way to get Danny's full attention and even attempt to mend the rift Vlad had created between them these past few years.

So, for the sake of Vlad's future, the man had to let go of his past.

He rapped quickly on the wooden door a few times, praying beyond hope that no one would answer. He knew it didn't matter, that he'd just have to come back at another time and try again, but it was nice to wish.

The door opened a few moments later, and Maddie Fenton appeared, donned in her usual teal jumpsuit, the hood down.

"Vlad Masters?" she asked, her violet eyes widening slightly at the unexpected guest on her doorstep.

Vlad stared at the woman before him a moment, the woman he had loved nearly all his life, and still felt even now a small warmth spread through him. How many dreams had he had of finally gaining this woman's love? How many fantasies did he indulge of spending a nice evening, laughing and hugging the beautiful Madeleine? She had always been such a sweet, strong, smart woman, and still was. But she had chosen another, leaving Vlad feeling miserable and bitter and in so much pain.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, knowing that love still existed in this house for him, just from another source. A source raised by his former love and his former best friend.

Vlad sighed and opened his eyes. "I'm sorry for stopping by unannounced but there was something I needed to…discuss with you and Jack. Mind if I come in?"

Maddie looked over Vlad a moment, suspicion evident in her eyes but she nodded and stepped back. Ever since Vlad had "saved" young Danny from the Ghost King nearly a year ago, Maddie had been more receiving towards Vlad, no longer dumping tea in his lap or shooting him hateful glares. It had been nice, though of course it wasn't enough to get her to leave Jack for him.

"These are for you, by the way Maddie," Vlad said, handing her the bouquet while being able to resist his signature smirk.

"Vlad," Maddie growled in warning. "If you're starting this again after—"

"Nonsense! That's a thing of the past, Maddie. I'm merely being gracious, as you're allowing me into your house so unexpected and all." Vlad said with a wave of his hand, the picture of nonchalance. "I've been meaning to—"

"Is that Vladdie at the door?" Jack appeared from the stairwell that led to the underground lab. Vlad inwardly cringed as Jack walked over, smiling broadly, slapping a large solid hand on Vlad's back, jolting the man forward and nearly toppling him. "What brings you, V-man?"

"Vlad apparently needs to discuss something with us," Maddie said, her gaze still holding an icy challenge as she headed towards the kitchen. "Though I can't imagine what about."

Vlad and Jack followed but Vlad paused before entering the kitchen as a certain young teen appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Vlad!" Danny exclaimed, his face turning from surprise to irritation in a millisecond. "What are you doing here?" Danny descended the stairs, Vlad quickly taking note of the boy's attire; his usual white and red T-shirt, and baggy jeans. Vlad hated the clothes, wishing the boy dressed a _little _better instead of looking like some sloppy teenager. The boy only had white socks on his feet, telling the man that the boy was obviously in for the night, which seemed strange since it was Friday, and Vlad assumed teens always had some sort of plans for Friday nights. Well that worked in Vlad's favor anyway, knowing Danny wasn't going to be going anywhere.

The answer to Vlad's curiosity of Danny's lack of social-life was answered as he saw two more teens appear at the top of the stairs. _Ah, his friends are over. Perfect. _Vlad thought dryly with a grimace, looking back down to the boy.

His eyes traveled over the young face, seeing more of his father in his features than his mother. The dark hair and his height… When had Danny suddenly reached his chin? The boy used to barely reach his shoulders not too long ago. Would the boy reach his father's monstrous height of 6'5 someday? Vlad seriously hoped not, he quite enjoyed being able to tower over him. Danny was very slight though, thin like his mother, almost delicate. His eyes were a similar light color, soft and kind, though of course that kindness was never pointed at Vlad.

"I'm merely here to talk with your parents," Vlad said with a tilted smile.

"Right, and by that you mean flirt with my mom and insult my dad," Danny said with a roll of his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. "What's this really about?"

Before Vlad could speak, or even decide what to say to the boy, Maddie came back over and said, "Danny, you and your friend stay upstairs; adults are talking."

Danny looked shocked for a moment, probably not having heard those words since he was about ten. Then he looked slightly annoyed but flashed Vlad a smirk. "Alright mom," he said and rushed upstairs, whispering to his friends who had waited patiently for him.

Vlad shook his head. Vlad knew Danny was going to use his ghost powers to turn him and his friends invisible to ease-drop on the conversation. Danny knew that Vlad knew this. But what Danny probably _didn't _know, was that Vlad was counting on Danny hearing this conversation in secret.

Vlad followed Maddie back into the kitchen, where he saw she had put the flowers into a small vase and set it on the counter. He smiled briefly and then cleared his throat, preparing for the un-preparable.

"So what's up, Vladdie? Need a new chairperson on the board down at city hall?" Jack asked, that familiar large grin on his face. "I've been thinking that this town needs a new Ghost-Hunting Committee, really get the citizens involved and I figured—"

Vlad held up a hand, his patience already wearing thin. "No Jack, that's not what I've come to talk about. There's been something I've been meaning to tell you two for…a while now and—"

Vlad thought he saw a flash of something in the corner of the kitchen, behind Jack and Maddie. Vlad paled slightly, knowing Danny was indeed there and listening. His mouth went dry and a hot embarrassment flooded through him, despite knowing Danny was _supposed_ to hear this. But now that it was about to _happen…_

"There's…well, I've been wanting to say that I'm sorry," Vlad choked out, coughing into his fist before making eye contact with the Fentons. They both looked equally surprised. One because she never assumed Vlad was capable of apologizing, and the other because he couldn't fathom what Vlad would need to apologize for. He could only imagine young Daniel's face.

Vlad let them have a moment of shock, to process the statement before he continued. "I'm sorry for…" Vlad trailed off, his nerve suddenly lost. He stared at Jack, the man he hated more than anyone else, and Maddie, the woman he loves—loved—for most of his life…he couldn't do it!

"I'm sorry for…not being around as often as I ought. I mean, I'm no longer leaving across the country so I should be visiting my favorite family right? Mayoral duties have been holding me up, but I promise! I'm going to be around more often, to spend quality time. Like the old days," Vlad finished with a sickly sweet smile.

"That'd be great Vladdie, we'd love to have you around more!" Jack exclaimed, slapping Vlad on the back again. Vlad knew he'd have bruises later and ground his teeth to keep for killing the man right now.

"Of course," Maddie said, more hesitantly, obvious unsure how to feel about the situation.

"I just feel as though I haven't been a good friend to you lately, to either to you or your children," Vlad said mock-sincerely, shooting a smirk in the corner of the room where he knew Danny was listening. "All these years apart; I want to be a part of the family now, really connect like I should have so long ago. I isolated myself for so long, neglected calling and even now that we reside in the same city I _still _have acted so rudely. Can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, Vlad," Jack said with a sincere smile. "You know you're always welcome in the Fenton home. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Vlad paused briefly. He hadn't intended to stay, but maybe he might as well. It would be a good opportunity to see Danny more, be "nice" again and gain brownie points. "Sounds lovely!"

"Great! I'm making my special meatloaf tonight!" Jack exclaimed and Vlad rolled his eyes. As the Fentons got busy in the kitchen—Maddie grumbling about a sudden guest at dinner and Jack buzzing about his best friend's stay—Vlad noticed a shift in the corner, Danny probably leaving the room. Vlad smirked.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom for a moment," Vlad excused himself, leaving and heading upstairs. As he reached the top step, Danny appeared, arms folded and a scowl on his face. Sam and Tucker stood behind him once again, the classic back-up to the teen with a hero-complex.

"What the hell was all that about?" Danny demanded. "What are you planning now?"

"I told you Daniel, I'm not planning a thing this time," Vlad said with a shrug. "I'm simply—"

"Being nice, yeah yeah, you tried that before. I'm not buying it."

"Well then, maybe it's_ not_ just simply being nice," Vlad said quietly, his dark blue eyes locked with Danny's lighter ones.

The boy opened his mouth to comment but was interrupted by, "Danny! Come down here and help me set the table!"

Danny sighed and glared at a smirking Vlad. "Coming mom!" The teens hurried down the stairs, Danny shoving Vlad with his shoulder and the other two merely glaring.

Vlad shook his head and continued to the bathroom. He locked the door and sighed. He stood there for a moment, back against the door and mind racing. _Now what?_

The room grew cooler suddenly, and the air turned misty, a white fog blurring everything. Vlad breathed out in surprise at the sudden drop in temperature, a puff of white mist escaping his lips, reminding him of Daniel's "ghost sense". It seemed appropriate as Vlad glanced at the mirror on the opposite wall.

"You didn't do what you were supposed to do." Vlad heard the whispered voice clearly in the small bathroom and walked over to the mirror above the sink, where two solid blue eyes staring out at him. The face was as passive as always but her tone held a hint of irritation, it seemed.

"I apologized. That was the next step," Vlad argued, putting both hands on the edge of the sink as he stared at the mirror guardian.

"No. You were to apologize for the wrongs you caused the Fentons. All the wrongs, even the ones they know nothing of."

Vlad gritted his teeth and ground out, "I couldn't. I couldn't look that oaf in the face and apologize for _still _hating him, for lying and taunting him behind his back. I couldn't tell him I'd flirted with his wife and tried to steal her, that I'm still in love—_was _in love with her! I couldn't apologize for putting Maddie in a comprising position!"

"Why? Why can't you let go of your hateful feelings, the past feelings of these two that have been dragging you down?"

"They are all I have!" Vlad hissed, wanting to yell but forcing his voice to be quiet. "These feelings I have, of rage and revenge and love for Maddie, they are all I've held onto since the accident! For _twenty years _it's all I've thought about, all I've planned for and dreamed of! I can't…I can't let go of it all."

"You need to," the spirit said, her voice calm but firm. "You need to let go of the past Vlad Masters, or you will never get your ideal future."

Vlad scoffed and looked away. Could he do it? Could he release all that he'd held onto all this time? Twenty years…

He shook his head. No. The past was all he had! What would he be without his past and his feelings? "I can't…"

"The child needs to know that you care enough, that you're not the same man he met years ago. His first impression of you was a man out to kill his father and marry his mother. That image needs to change."

"And it will," Vlad said decisively, standing up straight and putting his hands in his pockets. "I'll change how he sees me, don't you worry?" Vlad smirked and walked back to the door, putting a hand to the knob. "I don't need to apologize the Fentons, I simply need to show Danny in my own way that things are different now. That I'm a new man." He chuckled, clearly picturing the images he saw in the Espil Mirror, relishing in the new future he was to gain. He opened the door and the fog cleared, the image of the guardian spirit fading away. "I will make Danny love me no matter what, without letting go of my past."

…

Dinner was relatively civil, in Vlad's opinion. There was lots of nasty looks, double-meanings and snide remarks, as well as at least a dozen peas flung across the table by a spoon, but nothing that could seriously dampen Vlad's relatively good mood.

"So Daniel, you're a junior this year, correct?" Vlad said, taking a sip of his drink as Danny gave a faint shrug. "Looking at colleges yet?"

"We're hoping he chooses our old alma mater!" Jack exclaimed, casting a proud smile at his son. "Imagine that; the three of them going to college together just like us!" Tucker, Sam and Danny seemed to shrink away into their seats, avoiding Mr. Fenton's gaze. Apparently being compared to their friend's parents and arch-enemy was "uncool".

"Well if young Daniel wanted to go to University of Wisconsin, he'd be more than welcome to stay with me in my castle. I still own it, though I currently live in Amity Park. It would save on housing costs and all that," Vlad said, folding his hands in front of him and sending the boy a smirk. "It would give us time to spend together to really…get to know each other, now that Daniel is growing into such a fine young man."

"No thanks, I doubt you get good reception in that big _lonely _house of yours. And I'm severely allergic to cats," Danny said, standing from the table. "I'm done eating." Sam and Tucker followed the boy into the living room, Vlad's eyes watching them.

Vlad stood with Maddie and Jack, helping to clear the table. He offered to help wash dishes with Maddie as Jack went to the attic to find some of his old college gear to parade around in.

The two of them were quiet as they washed the plates and cups, Vlad glancing at her every now and then. This was the first time in a _long _time that he was this close to her, alone, without her glaring at him. Vlad found himself smiling, sliding slightly closer, wanting to bump his arm against hers lightly, maybe jest a bit to get her to smile back, like she used to…

_No! _Vlad shook his head, straightening up and stepping away slightly as he scrubbed a sudsy cup. _Maddie isn't the goal anymore…but she's all I've thought of for twenty years…Daniel is the new goal! He's the one that's going to accept me one day!_

Vlad glanced towards the living room, where Danny was sitting on the couch next to Sam, Tucker sitting at their feet. Sam was leaning towards Danny, whispering in his ear, something that made Danny laugh and shove her playfully. Vlad's eyes narrowed and he heard a loud crash followed by a surprised scream.

"Mom!" Danny called, hurrying over just as Vlad glanced to Maddie in concern.

"Vlad, the cup! What happened?" Maddie exclaimed, a hand to her mouth. Vlad looked down, just noticing he'd crushed the glass cup in his hand. Blood seeped from between his fingers, flowing thickly into the sink, tainting the soap bubbles a dark pink.

"Butter biscuits," Vlad muttered, dropping the glass into the sink and gripping his wrist.

Maddie steered Vlad to a chair and said, "I'll get the first aid kit. Don't move."

Vlad watched as Maddie left and then looked down at his palm, bloody and full of glass. It hurt like hell now, but at the time he'd been focused on other things. He was surprised he even got as mad as he did, but the scene…it had brought up passed feelings and similar times, when he'd witnessed his best friend flirting with the woman he loved. Now he had a chance with someone else, someone like him and some…_goth human girl_ wanted to get in the way!

Danny stood before Vlad. "What happened, V-man? Got upset cuz my mom told you she wasn't interest in bitter old men whose only friend is a cat?"

Vlad rolled his eyes as he turned his hand intangible, the small shards of glass falling silently to the floor. When Vlad's hand returned to a solid form, his skin prickled uncomfortably. He sighed. "Just a slip of concentration is all. No need to worry on my account." He sent Danny a weary smile, but Danny merely scoffed.

"No one's worrying Vlad, trust us. We think it's fitting actually, a small bit of karma from all the terrible things you've done to Danny," Sam said, crossing her arms and narrowing her violet eyes.

Vlad glared at the little goth girl, finding her snide voice particularly annoying. "Like what Daniel and I do is any concern of _yours,"_ Vlad said venomously.

"Actually, it is," Sam said back with equal heat.

"Danny is our best friend. Not that you'd understand the term," Tucker said, standing protectively by Danny. "What happens to him is our concern and his enemies are our enemies."

"And we're not convinced for a second that any of this 'nice guy' act is legit," Danny said finally, just as Maddie returned with the first aid kit.

"I'll do it, mom," Danny said, taking the box from her.

"Don't be silly, Danny. You don't know how to patch up an injury, I'll be done in a second—"

"I want to help. Besides we need to clean up the glass before dad gets back down and freaks out, right?" Danny asked.

Vlad glanced to the sink and then down to his cut up hand, knowing Jack would dote on him and ask a million questions if they didn't clean up soon. "The boy is right, Maddie. The children shouldn't be cleaning broken glass, and Daniel is old enough to start learning proper care techniques. I'll assist him."

Maddie nodded and went to carefully clean the glass from the sink and off the floor as Danny pulled a chair in front of Vlad, sitting down to face the injured man.

"Though I'm sure you've learned some medical skills from cleaning up cuts and bruises from your heroic ghostly adventures, hm, Daniel?" Vlad said with a smirk as Danny grabbed the bottle of peroxide and uncapped it.

"Yeah," the boy agreed pleasantly, pouring the alcoholic liquid directly onto Vlad's cut up hand. Vlad nearly screamed, swallowing it in time as he jerked back, biting his lip from the excruciating burn. "Cuts and bruises mostly caused by _you._"

Vlad glared at Danny, his hurt hand shaking slightly, but managed a weak smirk. _Control yourself. Be kind, bite your tongue, don't scare him off! _"You flatter me," the man murmured as Danny grabbed the bandages and starting wrapping Vlad's hand. The teen actually did a decent job, making Vlad wonder if the boy _had_ actually spent nights bandaging wounds after their fights. The thought didn't make Vlad smile like it might have at one point.

"Thank you, Daniel, you did very well actually," Vlad said, careful not to flex or clench his hand so as not to disturb his cuts or the bandages as he inspected the boy's handiwork.

"Yeah yeah, I just didn't want my mom near you more than necessary," Danny said with a glare. "Whatever you're planning, keep her and my father out of it."

"My concerns are not for them anymore, Daniel. I can assure you of that," Vlad said, standing. He had enough of Danny's bitter mood. He was getting tired, tired of trying to be nice. The itch to throw the boy down, to drag him out into the street and make him shut up was getting too strong.

Vlad turned to Maddie, who was just tossing away the remainder of the glass. "Thank you for a lovely dinner Maddie. I'm sorry for the glass as well, I'll more than compensate for it."

"No need, Vlad, really," Maddie said quickly.

"Well, then tell Jack I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly, but I really need to get going," Vlad said, heading to the front door before Maddie could question him or stop him, but she wasn't likely to do the latter.

"And goodnight Daniel, I hope to see you soon," Vlad said with a light chuckle. "Thanks for bandaging up my hand." He ruffled Daniel's dark hair with his uninjured hand, much to the displeasure of the teen. Vlad left the house before anything else could happen, not sure if he had accomplished a single thing that night.

**So sorry for such a late update! I promise to do better. The next chapter should be up tomorrow, and if not, then the day after for sure! Thank you all so much for the reviews, they've really helped me and made my day :)**

**As you can see, Vlad is going through some conflicting emotions right now, but i mean come on, the guy is complicated bloke! I promised more "romance" will start eventually, this story is a bit of a slow burn, so bare with me! xD it will come, I promise! **

**Please favorite or follow if you're enjoying, and leave a small (or big) comment telling me what you like, don't like, any questions, or even if there are some blaring grammatical error that I should fix! Thank you all so much for reading, have a great week! Hope your thanksgiving was great! ^^ I'm thankful for all of you!**


	4. Step Three- Friends (part 1)

**Firstly, thanks so much for all the reviews and follows! Its so great to know people like this story and I'm excited to keep writing for you guys! ^^**

**WARNING****: The beginning of this chapter is SLASHY and kinda weird haha. Its nothing too bad, really, but I just want to make sure I prepare you guys! Just in case!**

Vlad smiled, happy to see Maddie standing beside him. Her back was to him, her short orange hair looking as soft as her womanly curves. He reached out for her, but when she turned to face him, Danny was suddenly standing there, smiling up at Vlad.

_Maddie's son…_

Vlad smiled and rubbed his thumb softly on the boy's cheek. "Hello son," he whispered and bent down to kiss the teen softly on the lips.

Danny reached up, wrapping his arms around Vlad's neck, deepening the kiss. Vlad smiled as he heard Danny humming happily. Vlad pressed his hands to Danny's back and then lower, rubbing rhythmically as their bodies pressed together, warm and soft. He never wanted to let go.

_I can't lose him…this boy who is like me…this boy…_

Vlad panted into the warm mouth, tongues and lips melding and caressing, expressing love without forming words. Danny moaned quietly, moving shyly against Vlad's larger body, rubbing his hand on the back of the man's neck. "I love you Vlad," the boy whispered breathily, but the boy's voice was so hushed and Vlad's mind was so high, Vlad wasn't sure if the boy hadn't actually said "dad".

_So sweet…so young…too young, like a child…like a son…_

All Vlad cared about was this, those words, the heat and the press of their bodies, as Danny connected their lips together again, deeply and intensely, slowly and desperately as the boy clung to him, holding him as though wanting to faze right into his body, forming them together into one complete being. The warmth and the need Danny was displaying, to touch Vlad and love him and please him, it was driving Vlad absolutely mad.

_Danny…my son…or someone's son…I love him…_ _I want him…_

"My boy, my boy," Vlad murmured, kissing Danny's lips and cheek and neck, and rubbing his hands up and down Danny's back and sides and then finally between his legs. "My Danny…"

_Just like me…I love her…I love HIM…I want…I need…_

"Vlad!" Danny moaned loudly, throwing his head back in bliss. "Vlad…I…I hate you."

Vlad shot up from bed, his heart hammered, sweat coating him like a second skin. He panted and looked around him. He was alone. He raised a shaking hand to his face but paused when he noticed the bandages. _Danny…_

Vlad shivered, the remnants of the dream lingering in his mind, leaving him unsure. He shifted slightly to check the clock on the nightstand but paused when he noticed a small—or not so small—problem the dream had caused. Groaning and feeling suddenly very disgusted, Vlad threw off the covers and hurried to the bathroom, quickly disrobing and hopping into the shower. He turned the water to cold and shivered at the sharp contrast of freezing water on his burning skin, but at least it got rid of his problem quickly enough.

After cleaning and washing his hair, Vlad turned off the water and got out, wrapping a clean towel around himself.

He hadn't taken a hot shower, but a mist covered the mirror. Sighing, Vlad wiped the fog away to reveal two gleaming solid blue eyes staring back at him. He glared at the spirit in the mirror.

"I'm done," Vlad declared. "I don't want this anymore. I want you to show me what I _really _want, what I've known I wanted all this time! Revenge on Jack, Maddie's love and the world in the palm of my hand!"

"That's not your true desire—"

"That's nonsense!" Vlad yelled angrily, slamming his fist on the rim of the sink. "I hate Jack! I'm in love with Madeleine! And I deserve to rule, to rule _everyone, _it's what I'm _destined for!"_

"You're forgetting what you saw," the spirit said, her voice holding a note of disappointment. "This is why souls fail to reach their truest desires…fear, and doubt and disappointments cloud their goals. It gets too hard, too frustrating, and they fear—"

"I'm not afraid!" Vlad exclaimed angrily. "I'm simply—"

"You love the boy," the spirit interrupted, her voice firm and definite. "Didn't your dream make you realize the way in which you care for him?"

"I don't want to have sex with a child!"

"It's not about sex, Vlad Masters," the spirit said. "You're not grasping the core purpose here. You're not aiming to simply have intercourse with the boy."

Vlad ran in hand through his damp hair, his thoughts running wildly through his mind, the spirit's voice ringing in his ears. That dream had chilled him. To his core. Seeing Danny with him like that in the mirror had been a shock at first, even a bit disturbing, but the love he had seen behind those sultry looks, the kind words spoken to him…that's what Vlad wanted. But that dream…he had _felt _it, the touches, the heat, it had seemed too real, and it left Vlad confused. He had _liked _the dream! He had liked holding Danny, had liked hearing Danny's faint pants and his whispered words of affection. He had felt complete, had felt loved. But shouldn't it be wrong? He had aimed to be the father of Danny, not a lover! He was supposed to love Maddie, not her son! It was all just a big spinning jumble in Vlad's head, leaving him confused and conflicted.

Could this work? Could Vlad possibly love the boy this way and get him to love him this way…?

"No," Vlad exclaimed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Daniel is a _boy! _A stubborn, reckless, petty teenager who isn't mature enough to understand a single thing about life, who thinks he can play hero and save the world when all the world is _ever _going to do and has done is shut him out and tear him down for being different, for being too kind and naïve!"

The spirit remained silent a moment longer, staring out of the mirror at the near crazed man. "You care for the boy Vlad Masters; that much is evident. You need to hold onto that, remember that and know that it _is _possible for Danny Fenton to care for you back, to love you one day as you love him."

"Not as father and son…"

"No. As something more."

Vlad squeezed his eyes shut as the images and feelings of the dream entered his mind again. He shivered. This was the first time in his life that he felt so…confused. As though he were falling and falling, unsure of how far or for how long he'd fall or what would happen once he landed. He had no plan, no definite answers other than a few images he'd seen in a mirror and the words of a guardian spirit. He needed to cling to this spirit, and let her guide him, because he felt so lost but Vlad wasn't exactly used to taking orders.

Vlad kept his eyes closed, breathing deeply once, twice, and on the third long exhale, his shoulders untensed and the furrow between his eyebrows disappeared. He conjured up the image of Daniel in the mirror, smiling at him and talking with him. A strange flutter filled his chest, but he wasn't entirely sure what it meant.

Vlad opened his eyes and sighed, rubbing his face with his uninjured hand. "So then…what do I do now?" he mumbled into his palm before glancing into the mirror.

"You still need to—"

"I'm not apologizing," Vlad said firmly. "If I'm going to do this at all, then I'm skipping to step three. Come on already, out with it!"

"Step three," the mirror spirit said, her voice a bit more tense than usual. "involves the other people in the boy's life who are most important to him. In order to get to young Danny, you must first get to those around him."

"Meaning? Can we skip the vague explanations and skip to the part where you tell me what I have to do?"

"You have to gain the acceptance of his friends," the spirit said. "If they still distrust you and hate you, Danny is going to take their feelings into consideration. If you're rude to his friends, he won't appreciate it."

"Great," Vlad said, throwing up his hands in aggravation. "I have to befriend two teenagers to win the heart of another teenager!" Vlad rubbed at his forehead, a heavy headache forming between his eyes. "I'm too old for this…"

"Daniel's family and his friends are the most important people to him. You must get on their good sides."

"Right right," Vlad sighed. He buried his face in his good hand and shook his head. "And I know exactly how to do it."

…

Over his usual pristine suit, Vlad wore a long peacoat with a white scarf around his neck. He rubbed his hands together as he leaned against the fence outside Casper high School. It was getting colder and colder out as it neared winter.

Vlad checked his watch briefly, glancing towards the school's main doors. _Almost time._

A few minutes later, he heard a muffled ringing. There was a moment of silence and then the doors burst open and teens of all shapes and sizes poured from the school. Vlad turned away, staring at his black car parked on the curb and waited. He seriously hoped Danny hadn't gotten himself thrown in after-school detention today. He didn't feel like waiting any longer.

Vlad needn't worry as the teenaged trio appeared from the high school and started walking down the sidewalk.

"Whoa, that's a _Bentley!" _Tucker exclaimed as they noticed the parked car, but not the man by the fence. A lot of other teens had stopped to appreciate the car as well, carefully blocking Danny's view of Vlad. "Who's the rich kid whose parent's bought them _this _for their sixteenth birthday?" He pointedly looked to Sam.

"Hey hey, my parents bought me that purple Camry, remember?" Sam said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "I wouldn't want something as noticeable as _this _anyway_, _I mean the kid's parents have got to be _loaded, _and the kid's obvious just flaunting his cash." Sam rolled her eyes with obvious distaste.

"Actually, I think I know a certain billionaire who owns a car like this," Danny said to himself and Vlad smirked.

"Glad you appreciate it so much," Vlad said loud enough for the group to hear. Danny and his friends turned to see Vlad, who simply smiled in greeting.

"Other than to prove that you're this 'high and mighty' mayor with _way _more money than you deserve, what are you doing here?" Danny asked, walking over to the older man.

"I've actually come for you three," Vlad said, trying for a friendly smile but more likely flashing an awkward smirk.

"Come to tempt us underage teens into your car with promises of candy?" Tucker asked, with an unimpressed air.

"Try the promise of a trip to the Amity Park Mall," Vlad said, dryly. He stood up straight and smiled down at the teens. "A day long shopping spree, no limits. What do you kids say?"

"We're not kids," Sam said defiantly. Vlad grimaced. "And we don't _need _you to buy us things, it's not going to get us to trust you."

"Yeah Vlad, so just can the nice act already," Danny said with frustration. He and his friends turned and started walking away down the hall. Vlad blinked, his face carefully blank.

He pulled something out of his pocket it and held it up casually, staring at his own reflection in his gleaming Black Bentley. "I've got a gold Masterscard."

The three teens all paused and Vlad smirked. Tucker was the one who turned first and Vlad could only imagine the geek's eyes shining behind his glasses as he stared at the credit card. Vlad glanced over to see the nerdy teen elbowing Danny. Vlad's hyper-sensitive hearing picked up their whispers.

"Come on, Danny! Let's just go! We could get that new game we've been dying to—"

"No, Tucker," Sam interjected. "We're not taking bribes from _Vlad Plasmius!"_

"It's not a bribe," Tucker insisted. "He's not asking us for anything, simply offering to take us shopping. And even if he was trying to buy our trust or something, he's not gonna get it. But what's a little shopping gonna hurt. We take the card, go to the mall and go nuts, all on Vlad's credit! He's being _very _generous, I think."

Danny glanced at the billionaire and Vlad looked back. Danny smirked and walked over, snatching up the gold card. "_Unlimited, _you say?"

…

They had been at the mall for a little over an hour and Vlad was seriously wondering if the teens were _actually _going to buy the whole place out.

The goth girl of course had been against it in the beginning, but when Danny and Tucker continued making crazy purchases of whatever happened to catch their eye, and then the two boys dragged Sam to some dark store with brick around the entrance, shoving the card into Sam's hand, it was like her maturity switch turned off and she was just another rebellious teen with a parents' credit card.

Vlad rearranged the parcels in his arms; bags dangled from his elbows and pinkies, his hands balancing heavy boxes one on top of the other until he could barely see where he was going. The purchases piled up, the kids handing Vlad more and more stuff as they passed each store, Vlad haphazardly swerving away from strangers as he tried to keep up with the younger shoppers.

As the teens raced into yet another store, this one seeming to sell music CD's and DVD's mostly, Vlad threw all the bags and boxes to the floor in a relatively secluded corner, pulling out his cellphone and making a quick call.

In a few moments, three old green vultures complaining in thick Russian accents fazed through the wall before Vlad. He pointed to the bags and boxes on the floor. "Take these back to the house."

…

Vlad sat at a small round table outside an ice cream shop in the mall, his chin resting in his palm as he gazed at all the random passing shoppers. Children dragging their parents' to get ice cream or toys. Teens in herds, sauntering around with no money in their pockets (Vlad glared at _his _group of teens with _plenty _of money in their pockets). Grandparents hauling way too many bags for their precious grandchildren. Couples old and young, holding hands.

Vlad chanced a glance at Danny, who was trying to convince Tucker that the ice cream stand did not and could not put like pieces of bacon on a chocolate sundae with sausage instead of a banana. Even if Vlad succeeded in all this, if he actually managed to get Danny's love and everything he'd seen in the mirror, they wouldn't have what these couples have. Not only would they be a same-sex couple, which was still a touchy subject in most of the country, but Vlad was obviously _much _older than Danny. He would get in serious trouble for pursuing Danny at this age, but even once the boy turned eighteen in a few years, people would still send them nasty looks should they ever try to walk the mall holding hands.

Vlad sighed. Was it even worth the trouble? Danny hated him now anyway, maybe it wasn't worth all this just to have to hide it away anyway if it _did _happen. Danny wouldn't be able to tell his parents…maybe not even his friends…

Danny wouldn't be happy. How could he be? Being in a relationship with Vlad would just be another added secret to Danny's already secret-filled life. It would cause more trouble than it was worth. Danny couldn't stand Vlad now, and the trust between them would always be strained.

_What do I care? _Vlad suddenly thought bitterly. _If I want something, I'm damn well going to get it! Danny is the perfect companion, the perfect person to share my life with, I already established that a long time ago. What do I care if he has to lie to his friends and family, what do I care if people don't like our relationship!?_

_But would it even work…is it even worth it?_

A shadow passed over Vlad's shoulder, making him look up. Nobody was there, but he noticed the goth girl laughing about something, leaning against Danny as she tried to catch her breath. Vlad clenched his teeth and glared down at the table, not wanting to see Danny like that, _happy _with someone else. He didn't want to see a potential romance forming right in front of his eyes, right before he even had a chance!

_I can never win! It isn't fair! _Vlad felt a nasty burn fill his chest and his hands vibrate with energy, a faint pink glow emitting from inside his clenched fists. _It's always like this! I try and try, I find someone to care for and I mess it up! _

_No…someone always take it from me. Someone always messes everything up and I'm left alone, left abandoned and angry and— _

"Here." Vlad looked up, so lost in thought he hadn't notice Danny had bought his ice cream and was now holding out a cone with chocolate ice-cream and chocolate sprinkles. Vlad blinked, and looked from the cone to Danny as though Danny were trying to offer him a pink dress to wear. "I wasn't sure what kind you liked so I got chocolate. Everyone likes chocolate."

Vlad took the ice cream carefully, still slightly confused by the situation. "You couldn't have just come over and asked me?" Vlad inquired, twisting his cone around, staring at it.

"Well I was already in line and it just occurred to me to get you one," Danny said with a shrug, sitting down briefly. He licked at his own ice-cream, strawberry with chocolate sprinkles. He looked to Vlad, who was still staring at his ice cream as though he thought it would sprout wings and fly away.

Danny scoffed lightly. "You can eat it, it's not poisoned."

Vlad scoffed as well, as though the very idea that he was scared to ice cream was laughable, and he ate off the swirled top of the ice cream cone. He couldn't hold back the quiet hum of pleasure, biting into the chocolate sprinkles. It had been a _long _time since he'd had ice cream.

"So, I know this is somehow involved in some kind of nefarious plot you have," Danny began, leaning back in his chair calmly, keeping a level gaze with Vlad. "But thanks for the shopping spree." Danny fished in his pocket and pulled out the little golden card, sliding it across the table towards Vlad.

Vlad took the card and Danny stood. "Daniel," Vlad said before the boy could leave and walk over to his friends. He stood, grabbing the boy's arm so Danny would stay and look at him. He looked into Danny's blue eyes, trying to get the boy to understand, even though he didn't understand a single thing himself. "I'm not planning anything nefarious. I'm not scheming, Daniel. I…I've changed."

Danny looked at Vlad, eyes searching. Vlad stared at him, face blank but heart pounding. He didn't know what to expect, or what to hope for. He didn't know if he wanted Danny to give him a chance, to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay and that they'd try… Or if he wanted Danny to yell at him, remain angry at him and attack him so Vlad could attack back, so Vlad could stop all this and make everything normal again, so he could go back to everything he knew, back to things that made sense.

Danny merely shook his head and pulled his arm from Vlad's grip. "I don't believe you. Not after everything you've done. And no amount of shopping sprees is ever going to change that." Danny turned and walked over to his friends.

Vlad stared after him, wanting to pull Danny back and hug him, wanting to tackle him to the ground and shake him until he listened, wanting to talk to him, and yell at him and hit something and run away; wanting to understand what he was thinking and feeling but knowing that trying to grasp the emotions and thoughts running through his mind to try and sort them out was like trying to be Masters and Plasmius at the same time.

He looked down at the ice cream in his hand, at the bandages wrapped around his palm, and then towards the teens conversing animatedly, pointedly ignoring him in their own separate joy. He licked at the chocolate dessert, shivering from the icy feel on his tongue, deciding the only thing to do was move forward.

**So...I'm not sure if any of this made any kind of sense to anyone but me, but I'm just trying to show Vlad's extremely conflicting feelings right now. Sorry if its confusing or weird or anything, I promise things are going to get better! In like..two or three more chapters, promise! x3 This wasn't where I wanted to cut off the chapter but it ended up longer than I thought, and its late so I decided to separate it into two parts.**

**Finals are coming up (help me!) so I might be a bit slow on the updates but I will try my hardest to at least get one chapter out for next week! Please tell me what you liked, didn't like, any issues, grammatical things, prediction, questions. Even if you just wanna say hi, PM me! xD I'm friendly, I swear! Thanks for reading, and have a great day( even though it is currently 3am for me ^^")!**


	5. Step Three- Friends (part 2)

"So are we quite done here?" Vlad asked as he approached the teen's table once he noticed they were done with their ice creams. "Or were you three planning on buying all the television sets at the electronic store as well?"

Vlad scowled at the teens seem to debate about this seriously amongst themselves, but Vlad shook his head. "No. Daniel already gave me back the card so I'm taking that as a sign this trip is over. We're leaving and getting some food, before you kids see yet _another _thing you want to buy."

"Wait, this little 'bonding experience' isn't over yet?" Danny asked suspiciously, standing from the table. He looked around Vlad's feet and towards the other tables. "And where's all the stuff we already bought?"

"Back at my place already, waiting for you. So if you want it, then let's get going." Vlad ignored the glares directed at him as they followed him out the mall. It wasn't exactly like this was the first time he'd been the object of their anger.

…

Vlad pulled up outside his large home in Ultra Posh Pulter Heights, the richest neighborhood in Amity Park, naturally.

The teens got out of the car, Danny turning to face Vlad as the man closed the driver side door behind him. "So what's the deal? Gonna barbeque in the back and act like a big happy family?"

"If you want to play the mommy, then by all means," Vlad said off-handedly, making Danny grimaced in obvious creeped-out distaste. "Since you won't want to play the son, obviously."

"Obviously," Danny agreed. "I'd rather play the strong hero kicking the crazy villain's ass."

Vlad smirked at the challenge, wishing he could call the boy out on it and see if the ghost kid could put his money where his mouth was. But alas, rules were rules. No fighting allowed_. _

"I was more so planning on ordering food and letting you kids have some fun before taking you back home." Vlad smiled over his shoulder at them just before unlocking the door. "Just trying to show you I mean no harm, of course."

The teens all shared a look, a look that blatantly showed their disbelief, as though Vlad were trying to convince them that Santa really existed.

Vlad hesitated a moment as the key slipped into the lock. He took a breath and then released it, knowing he was doing something extremely foolish, but his hands were tied. He clicked the key to the right and swung the door open.

"Welcome to my esteemed estate, children. Please _do _make yourselves at home."

…

Vlad left the teens in the living room as he headed to the large kitchen. He knew leaving teens alone in a large house with all kinds of expensive things could be dangerous, but he figured the teens wouldn't break _too _much if he left them alone for a moment. Or at least they wouldn't break anything that couldn't be replaced.

He checked the cabinets and refrigerator to see if there was anything he could quickly make to satisfy his three young guests. Being a bachelor, albeit one with expensive taste, left him a little thin in the food department, especially knowing the "sophisticated" palettes of sixteen year olds.

Vlad sighed and pulled out his phone making a quick call yet again.

A few moments later, Vlad heard someone approach. "So how's it going, _Uncy _Vlad?"

Vlad snapped his cell phone shut just as Danny approached. Vlad flinched slightly at the nickname the boy decided to use. Vlad had wanted to be the boy's father, pinned after his mother, the boy referred to him as his uncle…and now apparently Vlad wanted to date the boy. Creepy was written all over this situation, so Vlad quickly shook it off and ignored the name.

"Just last minute dinner preparations," Vlad said with a casual air. Vlad paused, noticing the two were alone in the kitchen. He vaguely wondered where the boy's friends were but ignored it in favor of taking advantage of this rare opportunity.

The boy was cute, Vlad had to admit. He had never really looked at the boy in that way, but he was. Vlad wasn't loathe to admitting he'd looked at men before as he looked at woman, he was an open-minded man, so it didn't take a huge stretch of Vlad's imagination of appreciate the leanness Danny was developing under the baggy clothes, or the delicate sky blue shade of his expressive eyes that contrast nicely with the light skin and dark black hair. Hair that always seemed so careless, so boyish and wild, as though the kid was always moving, always running his hands through it. Vlad suddenly had an impulse to run his fingers through that hair, find out for himself whether it was soft or rough, thin or thick, muse it up himself, grip it and—

"Helloo, Earth to Vlad?" Danny asked with a weird expression on his face, waving his hand back and forth in front of Vlad.

The older halfa blinked and shook his head. "Sorry, I was just…thinking," Vlad said lamely.

Danny shook his head. He looked around the kitchen a moment and then commented, "You know, this is the second time I've been in this place. It's weird because both times I came in willingly and with you acting like you cared about me."

The words shocked Vlad slightly. The content alone was strange but also the way they were said, casually but still with a sting.

"The first time was when I had those weird weather powers, and you were trying to keep me happy," Danny said with a laugh. "That was your fault, by the way."

Vlad chuckled lightly, remembering the event with a shiver. That hadn't exactly been one of his shining moments. "Yes it was, and I apologize." Danny looked at Vlad, surprise clear in his eyes. Vlad was a bit surprised by his own words as well but more so surprised that they had been genuine.

Danny shrugged. "It's all part of the game right? You're the big bad villain who has evil plots, a sad backstory, a bitter temper, and puts me and innocent people in harm's way. I'm the hero, who forgives and forgets, who saves the day and always manages to foil your schemes at the end of the day." Danny crossed his arms and raised his chin smugly and Vlad couldn't help but laugh at the cute picture the teen made.

"Yes that does seem to be how things go between us, but I happen to remember a few fights where _I _came out on top," Vlad said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "_Most _of the fights in fact. I _do _have over twenty years of practice my boy."

"Yeah, but I'm catching up quickly," Danny said with a challenging grin. "You should start training more."

"You _have_ been improving, greatly I might add," Vlad said, with a hint of pride in his voice. He smiled slightly, enjoying the more casual atmosphere between them at the moment. He liked the weird relationship he had with the boy, that allowed them to exchange banter back and forth sometimes without any real malice. His good feeling increased even more when he noticed Danny's eyes light up slightly at the praise he received.

"Really?" the boy asked, his voice suddenly devoid of any sarcasm or challenge, just mere curiosity and hope.

Vlad nodded with a smile. "Indeed. In fact, with some proper training, you'd be a real force to be reckoned with, Daniel, here _and _in the Ghost Zone. You know my offer still—"

"No," Danny said, raising a hand with a shake of his head. "I already told you, not going to happen."

"And why not?"

"You're the villain and I'm the hero, Vlad. That's how it is, how it's always been. We can't get along, or train together."

Vlad paused, a serious look on his face as he stared at the boy. "And what if I don't want to be the villain anymore Daniel?"

Danny shook his head with a smile. "You can't just stop Vlad. It's in your blood! Besides, you're too good at it. I have too much fun fighting you!"

Vlad couldn't help the smile that forced its way to his face. Fighting the boy truly _was _fun, a thrill to face a creature just like himself. The verbal battles with the boy were just as rewarding, so Vlad would have to satisfy himself with this from now on.

"I'm serious though, Daniel, as flattering as that comment was," Vlad said, looking at the boy before him. "I'm not fighting you anymore from now on. At all. I'm not going to be going after you're family or plotting anything. I have other things in mind…less nefarious things. Can't you give me a chance?"

"No," Danny said, his eyebrows lowering as he glared at the older man and Vlad could feel the light casual atmosphere turning cold again. "No I can't. Ever since I met you, you've been conniving and lying. When I first met you on the day of the reunion, you seemed like a nice guy. My dad was excited to see you, you had a cool house and you were really friendly. But then…I met the _real _you." Danny glared at Vlad. "I can't trust you."

"I'm sorry Daniel," Vlad said, his voice quiet. Things weren't getting better. He just wanted to say _something…_something that would make the boy understand he was _trying _for _him! _"I'll just keep trying."

Danny seemed to want to say something, to ask something but then stopped. He hopped up onto the counter, sitting and swinging his legs. He smiled mischievously and Vlad found he rather liked that smile. "You know Vlad, you never did give me that foot massage you promised."

"Hm?" Vlad mused with a confused blink. The boy's moods and thoughts were as unbalanced as always, going from light, to angry, to teasing in a matter of moments. Vlad seriously hoped the boy would grow out of his swinging hormones soon or he'd get a headache.

"From when you have to cater to my every whim during the weather incident," Danny said with a smirk. He kept swinging his feet. "I had really been looking forward to that."

Danny laughed, probably imaging the humiliating picture Vlad would make as he catered to the boy like a servant at the boy's feet. But Vlad had a different picture, of himself running his hands on the boy's heels and calves, massaging the tension and licking the instep of the small foot, eliciting moans from the teen due to the pleasurable ministrations.

Vlad smirked and stepped over to Danny, dropping to one knee and cradling one of Danny's red converse in his hand. The boy froze in shock.

"I could fix that now, if you like," Vlad asked with a raised eyebrow. "Just think of it as more kindness, so you'll finally believe I've switched sides."

Danny's eyes widened and he quickly shook his foot out of Vlad's grip. "N-no thanks!"

Vlad chuckled and stood, standing close before Danny, letting a hand rest on the counter by Danny's thigh. "Another time then," Vlad said quietly.

Danny's shocked and confusion expression was absolutely adorable. Vlad realized he had just found his new favorite way of teasing the boy.

"Hey, is he hassling you Danny?"

Vlad and Danny turned towards the doorway of the kitchen, where Sam and Tucker now stood. Vlad scowled.

"And where have you two been all this time?" Vlad asked, standing away from Danny to direct his gaze on the other two teens.

"Bathroom," Sam said.

"Needed to make a call," Tucker said, both their faces completely casual and blank.

"Mhmm," Vlad said dryly, his gaze going from the "innocent" teens to Danny who had been acting way too friendly and talking more than normal this whole time. He sighed. Getting played by teenagers. He really _was _getting old. "Well, no worries. Despite the fact that you two were snooping and Danny was the very successful bait," Vlad smirked at Danny briefly. "It doesn't matter because I'm sure you're little search proved fruitless."

He smiled expectantly at the two teens, who didn't say a word but looked slightly shaken that Vlad had discovered their little scheme. "As I said," Vlad began with a wave of his hand. "I'm not planning anything or doing anything evil, so I don't care if you want to flip my mansion upside-down trying to find something suspicious. Although I wouldn't appreciate the mess you'd make."

A delicate ring filled the house suddenly and Vlad excused himself from the room to answer the door.

_That was quick, _Vlad thought, slightly disappointed to be interrupted. _They probably took one look at the address and figured if they came fast enough they would get a nice tip._

Vlad opened the door and as expected, there stood an eager young kid with uneven stubble and thick eyebrows holding his ordered food. "Hello Mr. Mayor! I must say, it's exciting delivering your pizza! Though I didn't realize you could eat this much all by yourself—"

"Yes, thank you," Vlad said tersely, taking the pizzas and handing the boy his money. The boy counted it, obviously disappointed that he had only been handed the expected amount.

"Uh…"

"Have a nice day!" Vlad said with a sickly sweet smile and slammed the door with his foot. He was only supposed to be nice to Daniel and his friends, not every teenager in Amity Park.

Vlad walked back to the kitchen where the friends were all standing together, probably discussing whatever things the two had managed to find in their snooping adventure through his house.

"Dinner is served!" Vlad said proudly, dropping the pizzas onto the kitchen island. "One Meat Lovers for young Mr. Foley, One Vegetarian for Ms. Samantha, and of course one Pepperoni and Pineapple for young Daniel." Vlad opened each pizza box as he announced them, the smell of cheese, sauce, bread and assorted toppings filling the kitchen, making the teens forget any plans and gaze at the food like starved wolves.

"I'm not going to question how you know our pizza preferences," Sam said as he grabbed a piece of her veggie pizza. "I'll just chalk it up to more stalking and classic Vlad-creepiness."

"I just pay attention," Vlad said with a tight smile. He turned to Danny who was already half done with one of his slices. "You don't mind if I take a slice from your pizza, do you my boy?"

"You like pepperoni and pineapple?" Danny asked around a mouthful of pizza.

"Back in college, when you're father and I were roommates and we were ordering pizza, this was what we'd get," Vlad explained as he grabbed a slice for himself. "I liked pepperoni originally and he liked pineapple. We would compromise and get both, and after a few times we grew a fondness for the both together."

"Ha, so that's why this is all he orders." Danny said after he swallowed, gazing down at the pizza after hearing its story. "I grew up with this stuff."

Vlad smiled at the boy for a moment before biting into his slice. The familiar taste brought up happy memories, tainted by bitter feelings, so Vlad could only stomach one slice.

After dinner, the teens all gathered in the living room to play with all their purchases which Vlad had had his vultures drop in this room. Vlad watched them from the corner of the couch, watching the kids as though it were Christmas.

Vlad suddenly got a strange warm feeling, as though this were a nice family gathering, but it brought up images of someone sitting beside him on the couch, leaning against him contently as they watched the kids…

He shook his head. It was strange. He watched Danny, and though the scene before him made him think he should feel as though he were fathering Danny and seeing him as a son, it didn't sit right with Vlad. After that dream this more and the light flirting that had (without Danny's clear understanding) taken place in the kitchen, it was slowly becoming easier for Vlad to see Danny as a potential love interest instead of a son.

"How do you start this thing up?" Danny complained, handling his new phone as he touched the screen and turned it this way and that.

Tucker glanced over as he sensed a tech problem. "You got the new Noria? I've never handled one before."

Recognizing the word, Vlad glanced over to see Danny handling a cell phone made by Mastersoft. "Daniel, come over here. I do own the company that makes those after all."

"Don't you mean _stole _the company," Sam muttered as she sorted through the new accessories she bought herself. Vlad scowled at her but looked to Danny as said boy scooted over to Vlad, sitting by the man's feet.

"Alright, so show me how to use it," Danny said. "The commercials made it seem cool, like I could use it to see the stars and plan for asteroid sightings and things." Vlad bent over, his chin almost resting on Danny's shoulder as he looked at the phone in Danny's hand.

"That's true, and you can also program the phone to alert you to different eclipses, NASA activities, and have your calendar follow the moon phases," Vlad exclaimed as he poked at the screen, setting up the device and programming the features he mentioned, showing Danny how it all worked.

"Thanks for the NASA posters by the way," Danny said quietly as he watched Vlad install some helpful apps. Vlad paused briefly but continued, his heart fluttering slightly as the quiet words. So Danny had at least kept some of the stuff from the gift baskets, as well as appreciated them. Vlad smiled, enjoying the thought and the current closeness of the boy.

"Dude it can do all_ that_?" Tucker asked, who had scooted over just as Vlad finished up. The man sat up, nodding. "I didn't think you actually knew how to use the stuff. I figured you just sat at your desk filling out paperwork for the company."

"I _run _the company," Vlad clarified with a raised eyebrow. "I make sure I know what the scientists are working on, what's being sold, how and how everything works."

"So you could like, make a new computer that syncs up to the Game Station or a PDA that's shaped like a watch?" Tucker asked excitedly.

Vlad arched an eyebrow with an amused smile. "Yes, I suppose I could so long as the technology is there. I could also get you free passes into the company to see all the newest gadgets, as well as free prototype versions to keep before they are released on the market."

Tucker looked about ready to burst, his eyes wide and shining with happy tears. Danny laughed and nudged Vlad's knee. "Stop it, you're going to give the poor boy a heart attack."

"I bet that's his plan," Sam muttered, giving a dry glare toward the group of boys.

Danny gave Sam an exasperated look while Vlad glared at the young goth girl.

"Right, because it's part of my evil scheme to spoil you kids until you all die of joy," Vlad said with a sneer.

"It would be a better method than some of the other plans you've had like trying to _burn me at the stake _but you know, it'd still get the job done in the end," Sam bit back, glaring fully at Vlad without blinking an eye.

Vlad blinked in surprise and then smirked. "You know Samantha, I always admired that about you. Your spirit." Sam rolled her eyes. "You're only a human, and yet you never back down when it comes to something you care about."

"Duh, that's what love means," Sam said and then blinked and blushed lightly, sputtering as she glanced at Danny. "I mean…well I defend things I love like… I mean not _love _love, just love like a friend! But, well…"

Vlad laughed, enjoying the teen girl being frazzled instead of bitter. Teens were so easy to tease sometimes.

"I'm sorry about that whole witch thing, by the way. I got a bit caught up in the era it seemed," Vlad said lightly.

Before Sam could say anything, Vlad looked down to Danny who mumbled, "This is the most I've heard you apologize…ever." Danny wasn't looking at Vlad when he said it, seeming to be talking to himself more than anything as he toyed around with the phone in his hands, his knees pulled up to his chest.

Vlad gazed down at the young boy, hoping this would be the start on the right path. He leaned down towards Danny's ear. "And I mean every word."

Danny jumped slightly, obviously not having expected Vlad to have heard him. His eyes widened but he shook his head and glared at Vlad. "Yeah sure." He stood and his friends followed. "It's getting late, Vlad. We need to head home."

Vlad looked up at the boy before him, wondering why the boy had evaded so quickly instead of arguing more like normal. "Sure thing, my boy. Let me just grab the keys and I'll drive you all home." Vlad couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling the boy's hair as he passed, his fingers lingering a second longer than they should have in the soft, thick locks.

As Vlad exited the room, he paused when he heard whispers. He focused his hyper-sensitive hearing on the conversation, curiosity getting the better.

"What do you mean?" Vlad heard Danny say to something he had missed.

"You and Tucker acting all buddy-buddy with _Plasmius! _Come on Danny, you're falling straight into his trap!"

"Oh come on Sam, we were not. And besides, there's no harm," Danny said casually and Vlad perked up a little. "Vlad's not doing anything right now—"

"He's _always _doing something!"

Vlad sighed hotly, glaring into the empty hall before him. That girl! Would she forever be a thorn in Vlad's side! The nerd was easy enough to win over and thankfully due to the mutual gender aspect, Danny sometimes leaned towards Tucker's line of thinking. But the girl was tougher. She was thick-headed and smart, acting as the mother hen, as the moral compass of the group, and Vlad knew Danny had a soft spot for her.

"Yeah, you think I don't know that. I just mean, there's no immediate threat. He's obviously trying to pull something, I'm not going to suddenly start hanging out with him and sharing cooking recipes. I just mean there's no danger in just having some fun. He's paying for all this."

"Yeah Sam, Danny's right. He's buying and he's not attacking. Whenever he finally reveals his plans, Danny will take him down like usual."

"God, you guys can be so thick sometimes! This is _Vlad _we're talking about, the guy who makes Danny's life a living hell every chance he gets!"

"I know, Sam. You're right, I'll be more alert."

"Thank you."

Vlad ground his teeth together, the anger in him boiling wildly in his chest. _She's ruining everything! _Vlad had been so close! The boy and he had…well not connected per say but had at least managed some decent conversations today without spitting fire at one another.

Vlad turned, intending to go out there and tell the girl off, or kick her out of the house, when a chill run up Vlad's spine and a whispered voice said, "Don't do it, Vlad."

Vlad turned, noticing a familiar ghostly glow around the hallway mirror. He sighed and walked over to it. "That girl," Vlad began, pointing towards the living room. "Is going to be my main obstacle, isn't she?"

"In a sense," the guardian spirit agreed passively. "But if you go in there with the anger you're feeling now, you're going to ruin everything. You've made progress Vlad Masters, significant progress." Vlad thought he heard a hint of surprise in the ghost's quiet voice, as though she were impressed, especially since Vlad had basically failed and skipped the second step to this whole thing.

Vlad smirked, preening at the thought of progress towards his goal.

"The boy is noticing your behavior and realizing you're not a threat. He's picking up on the way you act, the things you say, and more importantly, how you're treating his friends. This is good, Vlad Masters."

"Excellent," Vlad said, grabbing the keys off the table under the mirror. He smirked at those cold solid blue eyes. Maybe things were looking up after all. "Just a little more playing nice, kissing up to his friends and family, and the boy will be all mine!"

**So sorry for the late update but here's a longish chapter finally! If I don't update again within the next few days, Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to all! Hope you have a fabulous week!**

**Comment, Favorite, follow, you know, all the stuff that makes us authors smile :)It would be a great Christmas gift for me ;)**


	6. Step Four- Similarities

Vlad pulled up the car in front of Fenton Works. He scowled at the large neon sign above the house, announcing their location. So loud and large and obnoxious, just like Jack.

Vlad looked to Danny who unbuckled his seat belt. Vlad had already dropped off the other two teens at their respective homes. Danny was last of course, since Vlad wanted just a moment alone with the boy, to perhaps give a proper goodbye, finally figure something out to say that would make the boy do a double take, perhaps smile and say something in return that gave Vlad hope that the boy would soon see things his way.

"Daniel, a moment," Vlad said as Danny reached for the car door handle. The ghost boy paused and looked to Vlad. The older man faltered a bit. "Uh…" Problem was, Vlad hadn't exactly planned out what he was going to say.

Before Vlad could call upon some hidden sentimental, emotional side of himself, Danny's ghost sense went off, just as a shock ran up Vlad's spine.

"Great, it was almost going to be a quiet, ghost-free day," Danny mumbled as the white rings surrounded him, turning him into Danny Phantom. Acid green eyes looked to Vlad. "This isn't somehow your fault, is it?"

Vlad raised his hands as though to prove their cleanliness. Danny shook his head and fazed through the roof of the car.

Vlad leaned over the steering wheel and peered out of the windshield, watching as Danny began to fight some giant ferocious green beast that had fazed through some buildings and appeared.

"Whoa Cujo! Hey, it's just me! Whoa boy! How'd you get out of the Ghost Zone again!" Danny called, grabbing onto the beast's thick black collar to try to rein it in from the destruction it was causing.

"Vlad Masters."

Vlad sighed, not taking his eyes off the ghosts outside. "Can this wait, I'm trying to watch the show."

"It's time for the next step, Vlad Masters. And now might be the perfect opportunity."

"Oh?" Vlad inquired, finally glancing up into the rearview mirror where the familiar solid blue eyes stared back.

"Similarities, Vlad," the spirit said.

Vlad arched a silver eyebrow. "Is this becoming some kind of dating service? I've got to find 'common interests', like a love for hiking, walking on the beach and writing poetry?"

"This is about finding common ground, Vlad," the spirit said, ignoring the sarcastic comments of the billionaire. "The boy can't take a serious interest in you if you two cannot find common ground to bond over."

"Yes true," Vlad said with a smirk, pulling the keys out of the ignition and stepping out of the car. "Well then this should be easy at least. Danny and I are already a lot alike. I mean we _are _the only two half ghosts in existence and that's—"

"Whoa whoa, Vlad look out!" Vlad looked up and suddenly was tackled to the ground. He looked up in surprise to see the giant beast, its massive paws pinning him down, growling down at him, bright red eyes glaring and drool dripping down from a mouth full of sharp snarling teeth. The drool dripped onto the front of Vlad's suit, positively revolting the man despite the monster that seemed about ready to eat him.

Vlad glared up at the beast. "This is a new suit, so if you wouldn't mind…" Vlad growled, his eyes flashing red for a moment. The green ghost stopped growling and suddenly a thick tongue stuck out, licking Vlad on his face, leaving a slimy trail.

"Ugh, Daniel, get this thing off me before I resort it to ectoplasm!" Vlad cried just as Danny floated over, laughing.

"He usually hates cat people. Do you secretly have a love for slobbery, cuddly dogs, Vladdie?" Danny asked, floating over to Cujo's large head and scratching him behind the ear. The giant ghost dog barked happily and suddenly turned into a small happy green puppy, who continued to lick at Vlad's face.

Vlad sat up, his face scrunched in disgust as he held the squirming puppy away from him. "Cats are quiet and clean, dogs are way too over anxious and…ugh affectionate," Vlad said, standing and handing over the ghost dog.

"You think you'd want something overly affectionate in your home, instead of a moody old cat," Danny said, scratching the dog under his chin. "I'll never understand why lonely people choose even lonelier animals as companions."

Vlad pulled out the red handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the drool from his face. "Cats have basic manners, first one thing" Vlad said dryly, glancing at Danny to point a glare at the boy, but paused when he noticed the laughing Danny not listening and playing with the puppy, who was floating around the ghost boy's head, yapping and panting happily. _He likes dogs. Great, there goes that similarity, _Vlad thought with an irritated twitch in his eye.

"So I assume you know this little beast," Vlad mused.

"Yeah, he caused some trouble at Axion Labs a few years ago and ever since he's kind of shown up every now and then. He really is sweet, he just needs someone to play with him," Danny said with a smile.

"Seems he's really taken a liking to you," Vlad said dryly, just as the dog floated up to Vlad and licked his cheek again.

Danny laughed as the man wiped at his face with his sleeve, grabbing the dog and holding it under his arm. "Yeah, and he seems to like you too, God only knows why." Danny smirked as Vlad struggled with the rambunctious pup. The older man looked to Danny pleadingly, so Danny laughed and took Cujo once again into his arms. "I wish I could have a dog, but this little guy belongs in the ghost Zone. I'll have to bring him back—"

The front door to Danny's home suddenly opened, Jack Fenton standing in the doorway with some kind of blinking gadget in hand. Danny yipped like the puppy and stepped behind Vlad, quickly letting the white rings turn him human again with Vlad as an effective shield.

"Vladdie? That you?" Jack asked as he came down the steps to the sidewalk. "Be careful! There's ecto-energy going crazy right now! There's a ghost around here! Dang specters getting close to my home!"

Vlad rolled his eyes as Jack came closer, following the tracking device's blinking and beeping. The gadget lit up when it was pointed straight at Vlad's chest. Jack looked to Vlad in confusion and Vlad just smiled innocently, his heart actually beating a bit faster than normal. _It would be really bad if Jack suddenly decided to use his head and connect the pieces…!_

Jack put a hand to Vlad's shoulder and moved the man to the side to see behind him and was surprised to see his own son standing there, looking just as "innocent".

"Danny? What are you doing here?" Jack asked. "Have you seen any ghosts floating around?" Jack looked down at the machine in his hands which was going nuts, blinking and beeping, indicating a strong ghostly presence.

Vlad noticed Danny's worried gaze, and Vlad try to send him a reassuring smile but he worried too. Vlad's repressed ghostly powers were vast and insanely strong, combined with Danny's own hidden powers and the currently invisible ghost behind the boy's back, that machine might actually explode from the intense ghostly pressures it was picking up. And that might be bad.

"No dad, I haven't seen anything," Danny began quickly.

"Huh," Jack said, looking into the skies and then shaking his head. He hit his thick fist against the contraption with a sigh. "I just don't get why these machines keep lighting up around you, Danny-boy." He pointing the machine away and towards Vlad, watching it light up and beep even louder. "And now it's even doing it for Vlad! Man, I need to tweak this thing and try to get it to work!" He looked to the sky again and sighed. "I guess it was just a false alarm."

Jack then retreated back towards the house. "Oh and Vlad, you're more than happy to stay for dinner!"

Vlad sighed as Jack entered the house, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "That man is an even bigger idiot than I thought."

"Hey, you can't call him that when you _know _his invention works just fine," Danny argued as Cujo turned visible and floated around Danny, licking the boy's face. "Good boy, Cujo."

"It's not the technology not working, it's the fact that he can't connect the pieces," Vlad said with a shake of his head.

"So, you _wanted _him to figure out that you and me are ghosts?" Danny asked with a confused tilt of his head.

"I don't _want _him to, I'm just commenting that he's an idiot because he hasn't."

"My mom hasn't figured it out either you know."

Vlad paused, glancing to Danny. "Well then she's an idiot as well."

Danny's eyes widened for a moment but then he glared at Vlad. "Quite bashing my parents okay, and just be happy they haven't figured it out or you would be ripped apart molecule by molecule."

"And you wouldn't be?" Vlad asked with a raised eyebrow.

Danny faltered a moment, breaking eye contact as he glanced to Fenton Works. "Well…I'm their son—"

"If you trust them not to rip you apart should they ever find out about your ghostly half, then why haven't you told them?"

Danny didn't respond, his gaze resigned and far away as he stared at his front door. Vlad sighed.

"If you tell them and they still love you, that'd be great. You'd still have your happy little family but without the fear and lies. But, if you told them and they _rejected_ you, still saw you as an enemy, then you'd lose your family. And the thought of them hating you and trying to kill you is scary enough that the more favorable outcome just isn't worth the risk."

"Exactly," Danny said with a sigh. "You're lucky you don't have a family to hide from."

"No matter the circumstance, it's never lucky to not have family," Vlad said sternly, his eyes narrowing at Danny.

Danny shrunk back a bit, shame suddenly flashing in his gaze as he realized what he'd just said. "No you're right, I'm sorry. I mean, well…"

"And for the record," Vlad said, cutting the boy off before he could ramble on like he was prone to sometimes. "I _do _still have to hide. I have my masks just as you do, Daniel. You have to act the perfect son, the normal teenage student, and the ghost fighting hero, being what people believe you to be, switching back and forth with your roles and your double identity.

"I have to act the kindly mayor for the people of this city." Danny rolled his eyes and Vlad smirked. "I have to play the old college buddy of Jack." Vlad rolled his eyes. "As well as the evil villain to satisfy a certain ghost boy's growing hero-complex." Vlad chuckled and reached out, ruffling Danny's dark hair.

"You're not _pretending _there," Danny said, shaking his head and brushing away Vlad's hand. He smirked as he tried to fix his unruly black hair. "_That's _your true face."

Vlad shook his head. "I'm not a villain, Danny." Before the boy could argue, Vlad said, "But I'm not a hero either."

Danny paused, looking at Vlad carefully. He grabbed Cujo from the air and turned back into Danny Phantom.

"No. You're right, you're not a hero. You can never be one."

Vlad had no reason to argue. He didn't _want _to be a hero. He saw the pressures the boy put himself under by saving the city, by fighting all the ghosts. People relied on him, to _always _win, to always know what to do and make the right choices. It was too much pressure for a teen who could barely control his powers, who still had to graduate high school and keep this all a secret from everyone. Hero's were glorified and it seemed like Danny like it, but Vlad knew it was way harder to be a hero than a villain. But then again, being a villain just didn't pay off as well as one would think sometimes.

But for some reason, Vlad didn't want Danny to believe this. He didn't want Danny seeing him as a villain, and even though Vlad had no intentions of suddenly becoming some saint and fighting crime, he didn't want Danny believing he couldn't be a hero. He wanted Danny to…to count on him, to look up to him and to…_believe _in him. He wanted someone's faith, someone's trust, and Vlad realized that someone was this boy.

"Why can't I be a hero?" Vlad asked. He stared at the boy's green eyes, searching. His eyes were wide, hoping the boy would see some potential in him, some _good. _He didn't think he could bare the ghost boy seeing him as just another enemy, as just some obstacle, just an evil force he needed to rid the city of. He needed to _be _something to the by, something substantial and important and _permanent! _

Danny merely shook his head. "I need to return Cujo to the Ghost Zone."

Vlad's hopes dropped. He nodded. "I'll go then. Don't let me get in the way."

"My dad invited you to dinner."

Vlad paused, wondering if that was an invitation in the boy's voice. It sounded more like he was reminding Vlad so that the man wouldn't break his dad's heart. "I'm sure you're father won't miss me. He's got his own family."

Danny looked ready to say something else but Vlad merely turned and got back into his car, slamming the door shut without another glance at the young ghost hero.

**So this one is a shorter chapter but I hope you still like it ^^ it was fun to write and i just find it endearing haha I mean Vlad and Cujo! xD too cute haha Im really excited for the next chapter, its gonna be a veery long one, and I'll try to get it up this week. The major problem is my lack of wifi so hopefully i can stop by the library or something to post it haha**

**Thank you all so much for your comments and favorites! I'm glad a lot of you find them all in character, that's what I'm hoping to stick with because it can sometimes be hard to find good fics for these two with them staying character. So I'm glad I'm doing well with that ^^ Hope you all had a good holiday and don't favorite to leave a little comment! ;)**


	7. Step Five- Open Up

Vlad sat at his desk, fighting off a burning headache from all the routine, tedious paperwork that had to be done for this town. He needed to sign papers, plan meetings, read papers, attend meetings, make phone calls, ignore phone calls, run around town, make announcements…sometimes Vlad wondered why he'd thought world domination was a good idea; trying to run a city was time-consuming and boring, imagine running the whole earth!

Besides this, Vlad also had multiple companies he owned that he needed to take care of on a daily basis. That left absolutely no room for the main thing Vlad wanted to focus all his time and energy on: the Danny problem.

He called it a problem and not a goal or plan because currently, it _was _a problem. A big problem, and a real pain in the ass. Every time he thought he was making even a small step forward, he seemed to do something wrong. Danny's quick temper and unpredictable teen emotions made reasoning with the boy impossible.

_Maybe I should wait another ten years, and try this whole thing again when he's 26…_Vlad thought, rubbing his forehead. _But then that she-bat will already have swooped in and sunk her plastic fangs into him! I'll have already lost him!_

Vlad scowled, knowing he had to grab the boy now. _Ugh, I sound like some creep on the children's playground…_

_It's not like Danny's a child though, he's sixteen. And despite his emotions, he _has _mellowed out and matured in the few short years I've known him. Given time, he'll become a fine young man, capable and responsible and incredibly powerful._

Vlad's headache dulled some at the idea, of watching Danny age and mature by his side, being there during it all, spending his life with such a person. It wasn't such a bad thought, and it made this whole dilemma that much easier, knowing what awaited him at the end.

_I just wish the end would come sooner…or easier._

Vlad sat back, staring at all the unfinished paperwork he had yet to touch. He glanced at his watch. It was late enough that he could cut out, head home and perhaps take a long bath, make a hot meal and catch the game. He sighed…yet another bachelor night. No one to return home to. Well except Maddie.

Vlad glanced guiltily to the corner of his desk, where a framed photo of the human Maddie sat. He leaned forward and grabbed it, resting his elbows on the desk as he gazed down at the smiling face. He hadn't gotten rid of this old thing yet, despite knowing he should. There was no point in keeping it, he had given up on her, hadn't he? It felt wrong to keep it now, like if Danny came in and saw it, Vlad would feel like he was caught cheating or something. Vlad chuckled without humor.

He looked at the picture one last time and then stood. He walked around to the side of his desk and held the framed photo over the waste basket. He hesitated though.

"Butter brickle," Vlad muttered, rubbing his face wearily. He stepped back and opened the desk drawer, quickly shoving the picture frame inside face down, grabbing his car keys and exiting the building in a hurry.

As he pulled out into the street, he glanced into the rearview mirror and nearly had a heart attack at what—or who—was staring back at him, causing him to swerve slightly and earning a few honks his way.

"Could you _please _refrain from just _appearing _in my rearview mirror while I'm driving!?" Vlad exclaimed as his heart rate slowed back to normal. The man sighed. "Well what is it? Here to reprimand me for not going out to find my similarities with young Daniel?"

"Finding similarities takes time, time that needs to be spent getting to know the boy," the blue eyed spirit in his mirror said calmly. "The next step is to go hand in hand with that one. As you spend time with him, finding common ground, you must also continue to gain his trust and respect along the way, through opening up."

Vlad glanced to the mirror, arching an eyebrow. "Opening up? You mean like telling him my _feelings, _and all the awful horrors of my childhood?"

"Opening up simply means being honest with the boy, willing to confess feelings or experiences you'd rather keep to yourself. If you are to have this child as a main part of your life, you need to be comfortable with talking to him," explained the guardian specter.

Vlad nodded as he continued to drive, his mind reeling. The very idea of talking to Danny about his _feelings _was almost laughable, and quite frankly a bit humiliating. But he supposed it made sense.

"Alright. But I'm not going to hold his hands, gaze into his eyes and confess my undying love for him or anything. The boy will be lucky to get an "I'm feeling hungry" out of me at this point. That is, if he'll even bother talking with me."

…

Vlad quietly stood in the kitchen, his hair loose and still damp on his shoulders from his relaxing shower. He wore his embroidered gray robe without a shirt under it and soft black pajama bottoms. Fuzzy cat slippers covered his feet as he chopped vegetables on the counter. It was quiet, so a soft meow made Vlad look up in surprise.

"Hello Maddie," Vlad said with a soft smile. "Come to keep a solitary old man company?" Vlad asked as he pet the affectionate cat who had jumped onto the counter. Vlad smiled fondly and put down the knife so he could properly hold the cat. "I should really thank Daniel for suggesting I get a cat in the first place. I know he said it to mock me, but I like to believe he said it because he was truly concerned. I suppose that would count as opening up."

"Meow!" Maddie nuzzled Vlad and purred as the man stroked her back. Vlad smiled; knowing Maddie was always happy to see him made the loneliness go down significantly. He had never had a pet before, had always seen them as a nuisance instead of a pleasure, but when Danny had offhandedly suggested it, for some reason it had stuck in his head.

"Aw, who's a good girl?" Vlad cooed, happily nuzzling the only creature who ever cared for him in the past twenty years. "Who loves her daddy?"

A sharp knock at the door startled the pair, Maddie meowing angrily and jumping from Vlad's arms. "Oh butter biscuits, who is it at this time?" Vlad demanded, storming over to the front door. He pulled the door open, his expression annoyed as he prepared to reprimand whoever was disturbing the mayor at this time. He paused though when he noticed the shadowed figure of Danny Fenton before him.

"Mind if I use your TV?" Danny asked with an odd expression, just before turning intangible and walking straight through Vlad and into the house.

Vlad blinked, and quickly closed the door, following the teen to the living room. Said sixteen year old plopped onto the couch, grabbing the remote off the cushion.

"Daniel?" Vlad asked, not sure how to properly respond to the situation before him. "Not that this isn't…I mean what are—"

"Do you have any food here, Plasmius? I'm starved," Danny asked as he flicked through the channels boredly. Danny glanced to Vlad and suddenly seemed to notice the man was in a robe. He cringed. "And could you put your normal suit on, this is a bit gross to look at."

Vlad's eyes narrowed as his very thin nerves broke. He took the TV remote from the boy and clicked off the television. "I don't appreciate this rude interrupting of my night, Daniel. You're welcome to stay here but you're not going to act like some miscreant, barging in here, demanding food like I'm some kind of servant, and insulting me!"

Danny glared up at Vlad like the man was some pestering parent, but then his expression turned to embarrassment and he looked down at his feet. "Sorry," Danny muttered and the tone sounded heart felt enough that Vlad unwillingly let his annoyance go with a sigh. "Can I have the remote back? I just want to watch TV." Danny reached for it, but just as his fingers were about to close around the controller in Vlad's hand, the boy's hand and arm turned intangible, passing right through his target. Danny scowled.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "No. I think it'd be best if you told me why you're barging into my house in the first place, instead of watching TV in your _own_ home, or the home of your friends. I do recall you saying we were _enemies, _remember, and I'm pretty sure enemies don't go to each other's houses just to watch the newest episode of Glee."

"I don't watch Glee," Danny said with a wrinkle between his eyebrows. Vlad gave him a steady glare and Danny sighed. He didn't say anything for a moment, seemingly debating about something in his mind from the conflicted look in his eyes. Finally he looked up at Vlad, and said, "That machine my dad had aimed at us the other day…since he believes it's got bugs, he's been tinkering with it. It started sending off strong ecto-currents that made my powers short out." As if to further prove his point, Danny slowly starting rising from the couch, floating until his head hit the ceiling. Vlad quickly covered his mouth with his head to stifle the laugh that was just about to tumble out.

"It's not funny! This sucks! I feel like I'm fourteen again, and just got my powers. It's annoying," Danny grumbled as he tried to push off from the ceiling. He only managed to move so his back was pressed to the ceiling instead of his chest. He glared down at Vlad, who smiled smugly up at him.

"So why are you _here_ then?" Vlad inquired. "I mean even _with _control of your powers, you are barely a threat to me, so why do you think that in this state it was a good idea to come to the house of your arch-enemy?"

Danny scowled. "Yeah I know." He fidgeted uncomfortably in the air. "But…I can't stay home, being like this. It was bad enough before, but look at me! How would I explain this!?"

"And you couldn't go to a trusted friend's house…?"

"Same reasons," Danny said with a scowl. "Sam's family is doing their Hanukah thing this week so I didn't want to interrupt and Tucker's busy with his IT job that he's got down at the mall. And besides, it's not exactly like I could just float to the ceiling like this in front of their parents!" Danny seemed to pout, glaring at the wall. "I just hate to be a bother…"

Vlad looked up at the boy, who had felt alone and afraid and had decided to come _here, _to _Vlad _at such a vulnerable time! This was definitely some kind of progress! Vlad smiled and raised his hand, offering it to Danny. The ghost boy stared at it suspiciously a moment, as though expecting a pink ecto-blast to shoot out. Finally Danny reached and grabbed the man's hand, allowing Vlad to pull him down.

Vlad smiled and wrapped an arm around the boy's waist to pull him so his feet were hovering just above the ground. The boy was flush to his chest, and Vlad felt a tingle run through his body. Vlad stared down at the young face and asked, "So then you decided to come here until the effects of that stupid device passes?"

"Well not at first," Danny admitted with a slight smirk when he noticed Vlad's disappointment. "I originally went to the park and just hung around there. It's already dark so I figured no one would see if my powers shorted out."

"That was still very dangerous," Vlad chastised. "If you floated like you did now, you could have floated a hundred feet into the air and then suddenly dropped. And what if a ghost came around, like Skulker and you're powers weren't working?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "I know, thanks for the concern _Mom." _Vlad flinched slightly. Despite knowing that Danny was just kidding, the joke reminded Vlad that he couldn't act the parent around Danny anymore. But it just seemed to come naturally to Vlad, wanting to protect the boy, to guide him and teach him.

"It got cold…and I got hungry," Danny muttered, his cheeks turning a light pink. Vlad's heart fluttered slightly at the adorable picture Danny made and his own cheeks heated up when he realized how close they were standing. "You've been acting…well weird lately, but I figured I could at least come here for a bit since you're the only other person in Amity Park who wouldn't freak out if I suddenly started floating to the ceiling or walking through walls."

Vlad laughed. "I'm the only one in Amity Park who could _do _those things with you, Little Badger." Vlad floated a few inches off the ground, smirking down at Danny.

A weird expression crossed the boy's face. He stared at Vlad and then looked over his shoulder at the ground. When he looked back to the man, he seemed to suddenly notice Vlad holding him so close—and how exposed Vlad's chest was in just a robe!— and struggled away.

"Uh r-right," Danny muttered, managing to get out of Vlad's grip and falling gracelessly to his feet on solid ground, his hold on gravity restored. For now. "So uh…it's okay for me to stay here then right? It's not like this is the first time a Fenton kid ran to you when home wasn't exactly the best place."

Vlad laughed and Danny smiled uneasily as they both remembered when Jaz had ran away to Vlad's house after fighting with Danny, only to later realize she was trying to do undercover work on Plasmius.

"Of course Daniel, make yourself at home."

Danny glanced at the television. "All they're giving is Christmas specials," the boy complained with a scowl. "I hate December."

"Really?" Vlad said with a quirked eyebrow. "I thought you'd love Christmas like everyone else. You're normally so peppy and family-oriented."

"Yeah well, Christmas isn't always the happy, joyous holiday at my house like it is for everyone else. Never has been," Danny said with a dark look, averting his eyes.

Vlad was taken aback for a moment at the comment. Danny had just…opened up to Vlad! It made a warm spark fill Vlad's chest, knowing the boy was comfortable enough to talk to the man about something so personal, even if he hadn't gone into detail.

But Vlad also felt a pang of sadness. Danny always seemed so happy with his family, defending them to the near-death, and despite the boys moods, he seemed like a relatively normal, happy teenager. But with this one comment, Vlad could tell not everything in Danny's family life was ideal. And it had nothing to do with his powers; this was something that had haunted Danny for a very long time it seemed.

Vlad wanted to reach out, and comfort the boy somehow. With the responsibility of Daniel's feelings, Vlad needed to be able to react properly. He needed to know the right words to say, the best action to take. A pat on the shoulder? A hug? A kiss?

_Okay definitely not that last one._ Vlad shook his head with an awkward cough.

"You can put some music on if you want then, instead of TV. I'm making dinner right now, it should be done in a little bit," Vlad suggested lamely, realizing how rusty he was with entertaining guests. It was different if it was an associate or a ghost worker, but this was Danny. Someone he actually cared about, and a teenager at that! He wasn't sure what these "hip young kids" liked to do or eat, or how they liked to be comforted.

Vlad figured he'd done something right when Danny simply nodded and headed to the compartments under the TV to look for the stereo and some CDs.

Vlad went back to the kitchen, finishing up with the vegetables and putting the meat in the oven to bake. He had just closed the oven door when he heard Danny exclaim, "No way!"

"The CD's are in the back, just—" Vlad cut off as a god awful guitar riff blared loudly through the rooms. The familiar sound formed a rock in his stomach and he hurried into the living room. "No no no! Not that!"

Danny was laying on the carpeted floor, his laughter overpowered by the harsh grunge sound coming from the speakers. Danny finally sat up, wiping his eyes. He held up the small cassette box that had the name of the band he was playing. The Skunk Punks.

"Dad told me you guys had a band but I didn't think you'd have a recording of it," Danny laughed. "Who's singing? Please tell me this wasn't you."

"No," Vlad ground out between clenched teeth. He hated being humiliated and he was breaths away from strangling the brat. He should have destroyed that cassette years ago. "This was the other member of the band, named Nick. He didn't stick around long once the band started getting…picked on."

"You were bullied?" Danny asked, lowering the volume on the stereo. He looked pensive for a moment. "You guys aren't that bad."

Vlad smirked. "Thanks for the comforting lie, Daniel."

Danny laughed and pressed the stop button on the stereo, throwing the room into blissful silence. "What else do you have?" He looked through the other cassettes and CD's as Vlad rounded the couch and sat down. "All of this is from the 80s."

"Well that _is_ the decade I grew up in, Daniel," Vlad said deadpanned. "Sorry it's not Keisha and Ashton Timberlake."

"That's _Justin_ Timberlake," Danny said with a laugh. "He's kinda like the current Michael Jackson. Speaking of which…" Danny put in a cassette and Billie Jean started playing over the speakers. "I've come to appreciate the classics of the 80s thanks to my parents, so it's not a big deal."

Vlad nodded, not really wanting to talk about the giant age gap between him and Danny, but happy Danny at least liked this kind of music. That's a huge leap in the similarities department anyway.

"Meow!" Vlad looked over at the irritated mewling, knowing Maddie was probably upset about being ignored for a stranger.

Danny looked over and smirked. "So. You _did _get that cat, then." The boy laughed and Vlad scowled as Maddie curled affectionately at his thigh, begging to be pet.

"Yes well, I suppose I must thank you," Vlad said, a bit unwillingly due to the boy's smug attitude, but remembering to heed the guardian spirit's words. "Maddie here has been great company. Haven't you, girl?" Vlad cooed, scratching the purring cat behind her ear.

"Maddie?" Vlad flinched at the terse, cold tone of Danny's voice.

_Damn! I forgot, so stupid! _Vlad smacked himself mentally. _That's what I get for trying to open up! _"Yes, Daniel. It's short for my hometown." Vlad gave Danny a blank, bored look, thankful he was a practiced liar and a fast thinker. "Madison, Wisconsin. Maddie."

"Smooth save, Plasmius," Danny said with a roll of his eyes. He scooted back away from the stereo to leaning his back against the couch, sitting on the ground just a few feet away from Vlad. Vlad wanted to move closer, running his fingers through the boy's hair like he was doing with Maddie. The urge was sudden and strong, and it frightened Vlad slightly. It was a new sensation, this need for affectionate human contact.

"So you were actually born in Wisconsin?" Danny asked, glancing up at Vlad. Vlad's brows scrunched curiously. Was this Danny's idea of starting a conversation? Vlad supposed this _was _a good way to open up to the boy.

"Yes I was," Vlad said carefully, still not completely sure where Danny was going with this topic.

Danny smiled a bit. "So like, did you live on a cheese farm?" Vlad could tell the boy was holding back laughter. _Ah, so _that's _it. _

"Actually I did, up until college."

"Wait for real?" Danny asked, surprised written on his face, his smile widening. "Like, with cows and chickens and waking up at 5 in the morning?"

Vlad chuckled but nodded.

Danny burst out laughing. "You're a _farm boy!?"_

"Hey watch it young man. If you remember, your mother is also a country girl."

"Sorry, sorry!" Danny said between laughs, shaking his head. "It's just hard to imagine _this—" _Danny moved his hand up and down, vaguely gesturing to Vlad. "—wearing overalls and milking a cow! You're all stuffy and proper, a total rich boy!"

Vlad scoffed, not sure what was so funny about living on a farm in his youth while currently being successful and wealthy. "Yes well, people change."

Danny's laughter died down and he looked at Vlad, the words Vlad had just uttered sinking in. "I guess so."

There was a pause in the conversation, stretching out awkwardly. Vlad didn't want the talking to stop though. Despite the embarrassing topics so far, it was good. "Daniel, I know you don't want to believe that I've changed but—"

"You haven't," Danny said with a shrug, his tone casual. "I know you're up to something, V-man; you always are." Danny laughed and stood and suddenly something in Vlad's mind clicked. "Tucker and Sam and I have been talking about it and we think—"

Vlad stood suddenly, walking over to where Danny had wandered. "Stop," Vlad said simply. "You're making excuses. We're sitting and having a decent conversation for once and you start getting uncomfortable."

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked defensively, averting his eyes from the ever approaching Vlad. The back of Danny's knees caught on the coffee table when he tried to step back and he tripped, suddenly turning intangible and falling through. He stumbled back and Vlad fazed through the coffee table to grab Danny's wrist before the boy fell. The two stumbled into the wall, Vlad pinning the boy by his wrist.

Danny's eyes widened and he pushed at Vlad. "Let me go!"

"No," Vlad said firmly, putting his other hand on the wall by Danny's head, effectively caging the boy in. Danny's eyes flashed green angrily and the white rings appeared around his waist. Unfortunately for the little half ghost, his powers were still on the fritz and the white rings merely fizzled away, leaving behind a miffed Danny Fenton.

"So you _are _going to take advantage of the fact that my powers are down. I knew it; you haven't changed at all," Danny sneered, glaring up at the older halfa. Vlad stared at the boy, dark blue eyes narrowed. Their faces were close together, and Vlad could feel the boy's heart beat racing in the wrist he had pinned to the wall. They were almost chest to chest, and Vlad felt that same charge run through him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Daniel. But you're acting like a child. I'm _not _The Joker, or Lord Voldemort, or the Boogeyman! I'm not some evil entity, I'm just a man. We can sit and talk like adults, but you, with your childish black and white views, can't grasp that concept and so at the first sign of actual civility between us, you reject it and start acting suspicious of me when I've done absolutely nothing to warrant it!"

Danny's eyes widened but he looked away, like the stubborn teenager he was. Instead of facing his mistakes and accepting his way of thinking was wrong, he fought it. He clung to what he knew, to what he believed was right despite all the evidence against it. Vlad thought Danny was better than that, more mature. _The self-righteousness of the heroes._

"You were able to relax some without noticing it when you were here with your friends, because they are a comfortable safe world for you. But with just you and me…" Vlad sighed as Danny started squirming in his grip, obviously no longer listening. Vlad released the boy and stepped back.

"I'm not afraid of you," Danny said, his heated glare aimed at his enemy.

"I never said you were."

"And I'm not a child! I _know _what you're capable of, it's not like I'm imagining all the evil things you've done."

"But like an ego-centric hero, you ignore the _good _I've done, because you're not comfortable with it."

"Never mind, this was a mistake," Danny muttered, shaking his head and heading towards the exit. In a panic, Vlad grabbed at Danny's hand. He couldn't let things end like this with the boy _again. _He needed to make some kind of progress, anything! He couldn't let the boy storm out when he had finally trusted Vlad, opened up to him. He couldn't lose this!

"Wait," Vlad said softly. Danny paused and stiffened but he didn't wrench his hand from Vlad's. Vlad wasn't good with emotions. What man really is? Vlad had never had a real family, had been alone so long that he really didn't know how to act around people he cared for. He squeezed Danny's hand and said, "At least stay for dinner."

The two of them sat at the table for dinner and Vlad just couldn't wrap his mind around the situation. Danny still seemed tense and uncomfortable, so there was no dinner conversation, just the monotonous click and scrap of forks and plates as they ate, and every now and then the sudden crash and hushed swear if Danny's powers acted up, making him drop his fork.

Vlad glanced up from his plate every now and then, watching the boy eat for a few moments across from him. A few weeks ago, Vlad would have been thrilled! Daniel in his home, acting relatively civil and sharing a dinner with him. A domestic scene really, a father and son living peacefully together.

But Vlad just…couldn't see the boy that way anymore. He wanted so badly to run his fingers through the boy's hair again, to reach out and take his hand, hold it and smile, and to be smiled back at. He didn't want to raise this boy who was already almost a man, he wanted to share his _life _with this boy!

_Geez…_ Vlad thought, slightly shocked by the thought. _I sound head over heels, like I want to propose to the little brat! _Vlad knew he hadn't progressed too far in his quest to win Daniel, and it was mainly due to Danny's stubbornness, his black and white views and his damn hero's pride.

_This kid, I swear! That heart of gold of his needs some tainting…_

"You and my dad really were close, huh?" Danny suddenly asked, surprising Vlad out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" Vlad muttered unintelligibly, his fork clicking against his plate as he set it down to look at Danny.

The boy had finished his food and was giving Vlad a strange look. "Well that thing the other day with the pizza, and then the band…you guys were roommates for _two years," _Danny began, glancing down to his cup briefly. "You're his best friend, Vlad. Well he considers you his best friend anyway. How could you possibly hate him so much after being so close? And while you still remember both of your favorite pizza toppings and kept your old recording?"

Vlad sighed, pushing his plate away and folding his hands in front of him. He wasn't sure where this line of topic came from, but he was willing to indulge for the sake for conversation. "Daniel, it was your idiot father's fault—"

"How can you sit there and call him an idiot!" Danny exclaimed angrily, slamming his hands on the table. "How can you talk about how much you changed when the _one _thing I've known about you from the beginning is the same? I know he caused the accident, but he apologized! I know my father married the woman you loved, but she never loved you back—"

"That's not true!" Vlad exclaimed without thinking, glaring at the boy and slamming his hands on the table as well. "Jack stole her from me, as well as my life!"

"Is your life really all that terrible!? You're a billionaire for God's sake, with incredible ghost powers—"

"I never asked for any of this!" Vlad yelled, rising from his seat. "I never asked for powers, I never wanted them! All I wanted after college was to marry a woman I loved, have kids, _have a family, _and live a peaceful live! I didn't care about money or power then, I didn't want to be anything special! Jack Fenton stole that all from me, _he ruined my life!"_

Danny and Vlad stood on either ends of the table, glaring at one another stubbornly. After a few moments, Danny's shoulders lowered and his gaze softened slightly. "I…"

"Don't bother with any kind of pity, please," Vlad huffed with a wave of his hand, sitting back down. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. This was not at all how he wanted this dinner to go and he was pretty sure that was not what the specter had meant when she told him to "open up".

"I wasn't…Vlad, he didn't do it on purpose. Please, if you just talked to—"

"No, Daniel. The fact of the matter is is that it was his fault. He got distracted, it was _his _invention, and I will _never _be able to forgive him for it."

Danny just stared at Vlad, his eyes searching for something, which he didn't find. The boy sighed and dropped his gaze to the table. "I know." Danny sat back down but fell straight through his seat, falling harshly to the floor. "Damn it!"

Vlad hurried over, extending his hand to help Danny up. Danny brushed off the hand and pushed himself to his feet, dusting off the seat of his pants in an irritated huff.

Vlad sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I thought those annoying side effects would have worn off by now," Vlad muttered, gripping Danny's shoulder and steering him into the living room and pushing him to sit on the couch. "Your father's an even worse inventor than I thought."

"He's not! And you know it!" Danny defended angrily, his eyes flashing green. Vlad didn't know if it was because of his glitchy powers or if Danny was just that ticked off right now. "You _know _he's a good inventor and a good man, you just act like he's an idiot so you have even more of a reason to hate him!"

"Like I really need to explain myself to a _teenager!"_ Vlad muttered. "Just stay here! I have an extract in my lab that should help with the ghostly power glitches. I created it once my ecto-acne resurfaced a few years ago, just in case it should ever come back."

"It shouldn't," Danny said dismissively with a bored yawn. He leaned back into the couch. "Trust me."

Vlad raised an eyebrow, wondering how Danny had even figured out the problem all those years ago. Despite how he seemed, Vlad knew the boy was just as intelligent as his parents. _Well, his mother anyway_, Vlad thought bitterly.

"How come I didn't get ecto-acne when I gained my ghost powers?" Danny asked suddenly.

Vlad looked to Danny a moment, pondering how to answer that question. He then transformed into Plasmius. Danny flinched and looked ready to jump up and fight but Vlad put a hand up to stop the boy. "Calm down, Daniel, I'm just explaining your question." Danny eyed the ghost before him cautiously, but slowly relaxed, leaning back into the couch and keeping his eyes trained on Plasmius.

"When your idiot father created the first ghost portal, it was simply a prototype, that I _knew _wouldn't work, and it was fueled with impure ectoplasm." Danny nodded hesitantly, apparently following along well enough so far. "Similar to grease on the skin, the impurities of the ectoplasm caused the ecto-acne to break out on my human skin. The impurities caused my skin to turn blue in my ghost form—" Vlad indicated his current face. "—unlike your ghost form which looks basically human. That's because the ghost portal you now have actually _works, _so it's connected to the real ghost zone which has pure ectoplasm."

Danny nodded, now staring at Vlad with open fascination. "Because of all those impurities, my body was wracked with diseases and heavily damaged. As I'm sure you've heard, I had to spend years in the hospital with all kinds of weird illnesses and symptoms, from throwing up ectoplasm, to rashes, and the basic ghostly glitches." Vlad indicated Danny, who unknowingly, had turned invisible.

There was silence, and Vlad held his breath, unsure what was going on in the boy's head currently, especially since the temporary invisibility made it so Vlad could see his expression.

"That must have been…" Danny's quiet voice said in the air, and suddenly the boy appeared on the couch. Vlad was surprised to see Danny gripping his knees tightly, his face scrunched in distress. His eyes were shining. Vlad's eyes widened at the figure before him, stunning him into silence. "…awful. When I first turned into Danny Phantom, I thought I'd died. It was terrifying and I didn't even have all those crazy side effects, well except not really being able to control my powers. I sometimes forget you went through all this too…the fear and uncertainty. Except you were alone."

Danny blinked and shook his head, the wetness in his eyes fading. Vlad blinked and stared at the boy, suddenly able to breathe again. "Yes well. After a certain amount of practice, one gets use to it." Vlad wasn't sure if he was referring to the ghost powers or loneliness. "I'll be right back."

Vlad turned intangible and disappeared into the floor. Once down in the lab, he quickly found the vial he held in an anti-freeze chamber, to keep it fresh through the years. He knew this would help Danny's glitches subside enough for the boy to go home tonight safely.

"At least I can do this much for him," Vlad muttered. "Since I'm no good at anything else." Vlad glared at the vial a moment, thinking to just a few minutes ago. _Had Danny almost…cried…for _me?

Vlad shook his head. No it must have been some kind of trick. Danny hated Vlad, he said so himself plenty of times! Hadn't he?

Now that Vlad thought about it, Danny had never actually said the words, "I hate you." That was _something_ he supposed, but Danny's actions definitely shouted _I hate you. _

_Well Danny has been acting more civil lately…he even came to me when he was in trouble. That shows he trusts me, _Vlad thought, grasping at straws.

Vlad clutched the vial. "Who knew getting into the heart of a _teenager _would be so complicated? Well, teens are known for their melodrama."

Vlad noticed a shift out of the corner of his eye and look up from the vial in his palm, noticing a shadow before him on the wall. Plasmius turned quickly but nothing was there. He looked all around, but he was alone in the lab.

Shaking his head, Vlad fazed up into the ceiling and back into the living room. It was empty.

"Daniel?" Vlad called. He looked left and right but didn't see anything. Vlad glanced over to the front door. "Guess he left. Didn't want to stick around with some lonely old specter anymore." Vlad scowled, clutching the vial in his hand tightly.

He transformed back into Masters just as a figure appeared in the living room.

Danny was lying on the couch, his arm pillowing his head, his sneakers still on his feet as he breathed deeply. Vlad's eyes widened slightly. "He…fell asleep here?" Vlad took a step closer. "Danny?" The boy didn't move, his mouth parted slightly as he slept. Vlad blushed slightly and looked away.

"He must have turned invisible in his sleep," Vlad muttered, placing the vial on the coffee table by the couch. He floated and fazed into the ceiling, to the second floor, where he grabbed a clean blanket from the hallway cabinet. He floated back down into the living room and, after carefully taking off the young halfa's shoes, draped the soft blanket on the thin boy.

Vlad sighed. "I just don't get you, Daniel," Vlad whispered, gazing at the exhausted teen. All those power malfunctions must have taken a bigger toll on the boy's body than Vlad thought. He reached out, running his fingers slightly into the boy's hair. Danny sighed softly in his sleep and relaxed more into the couch.

"Goodnight, Little Badger."

**Thank you all so much for all the favorites, follows and reviews! I love knowing you guys are reading my crazy ramblings of these two dorky halfas! x3**

**Sorry this is late but here it is! xD its a long one too so I hope you all enjoy! Alot a emotions and junk between these two, and its great because we are reaching the breaking point! HAZAH!**

**Anyway, please review with any questions, comments, complaints (though please be nice ^^" if its about my grammar or any mistakes, just know I am un-beta-ed xD) or just to say how much you love me (Jk, but that'd be nice because I love all of you!) Have a great night!**


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